Still Playing Catch-Up

Since I've been without computer and not able to blog, a few devastating things have happened. Lets start with the most devastating!!

THE GREAT FREEZER INCIDENT OF 2014!!

 

 

Have you ever heard the expression, "Don't cry over spilled milk." Well I did! If you are a nursing mom or know someone who does then you know how PRECIOUS breast milk is. Well with all three of my kids I have been a milk factory producing way more than needed. With Emma I had strictly nursed for the first few weeks so anything I pumped, I froze. Well over the next few months I was able to pump, store and freeze over 175 bags of 3-4 oz bags of milk. I carefully froze them flat so they can be stored standing up in boxes (I would cut my breast pad boxes in half and use those).

Well one day I walked out and found the deep freeze I kept all my "Gold" in was cracked open. The thing I dreaded the most, happened. As I looked inside I found ALL the milk slumped over mostly defrosted!! Frantically I pulled everything out of my house freezer and laid all the bags flat again hoping it wasn't too late.

 

This is two rows deep and six columns wide of milk. I kept telling myself, "It was still mostly frozen should be fine. None of it was warm, all was still ice cold, should be fine. Should be fine right? Oh Lord please let it be fine!!." Then I sat down and cried. Literally!!

 

So after a few days of occupying my kitchen freezer, I pull it out and reorganize it so it will stack in boxes again. With frozen fingers and about 45 minutes later is was all put back into the deep freeze. Low and behold about a week later, I would find the freezer cracked AGAIN!! I didn't lay them flat again, I just left them to refreeze as they were, all slummed over and melted.

Since the first DEVASTATION, Ladd and I BOTH made sure we put our entire bodies into closing the door making sure it was closed. Well this time I just KNEW it was over for this milk. I still had hope bc none of it was warm just ice cold, minus being frozen. So randomly I would pull a bag from different places that it was stored in the freezer and thaw and heat up. So far every one I have pulled smelled funky, which ended being poured down the drain. Sweet 4 ounces at a time and a lot of tears.

 

Well after finding it opened the second time I think it had a latch issue or there was too much weight in the door so it kept popping open. (See I bought this freezer STRICTLY for my milk since I knew there would be a lot. Well not even a few days into having it more the HALF OF IT was occupied by frozen meats and food) So I put a bungee on the door handle to hold it closed. After 3 days things still weren't freezing. I think after being left open twice for more than 12 hours at a time it burned the motor up. So off to Sears I went to purchase a new one.

 

My new freezer is AMAZING!! I found one with a digital temperature gauge on the outside. You can set the temp from there as well. It has a door alarm and if the door is left open for more than 30 seconds it makes a high pitched beeping noise. It also has a feature that makes the door lock after you've had been in it, till it cools back down to the temperature its set on. FANTASTIC!!

 

 

I am slowly replenishing my milk supply but since Emma is eating more its harder for me to save as much as I as I was at first. This is super stressful bc instead of having 175+ 4oz bags I have around 20. SCARY!! But its all good. My girl is still nursing like a champ and she is getting some AWESOME, super cute thunder thighs!!

I have Returned!!

Ok so I have been without computer for a few months. I just bought a new lap top since my mother board went out on my last one. 7 yrs for a laptop isn't bad!

Ok so now that I am back I have some catching up to do. Well Baby Moehnke #3 has ARRIVED!!

EMMA FAITH MOEHNKE
MAY 8TH, 2014
5:04 PM
8LBS 5OZ. 21 INCHES

I am going to break it down beginning with the choosing of the name.

NAME
Normally we would go with a family name. Greyson Ladd (obviously) and Braelyn Christine (Christine was my late grandmothers name). Well we didn't have Emma picked out till about 3 weeks before she was born. I really tried convincing Ladd that Everett (my great Grandfathers name who I have never met but if he was anything like my Grandpa he was an AMAZING man) would be a unique name for a girl.  But he wants to save it for a boy name, which would be Everett Eugene (Eugene is both Ladd and I's grandfather's middle name) With that being said, this kind of gave me the impression we are going to have more till we have another boy!! haha.. :/ So after that name decision was made, it was back to the drawing board. It was between Kennedy or Emma. I kind of made the decision standing in Hobby Lobby looking at wooden letters for her room. I decided Emma even though it is not a family name. Its a name I have ALWAYS liked and I'm pretty sure growing up I had a baby doll named Emma. Faith comes from "Live by Faith, not by sight," something Ladd and I lived by going through last year's events. If I did not have faith in God I would have not made it through all that mess and carried a healthy baby at the same time.

THE BIRTH
Emma came in a very unusual way. It was kind of like.. "Am I in labor? Or are they about to send me home?" With Greyson and Braelyn, I had pretty consistent contractions for a week or two before they were born, both being 2-3 wks early. Well NOT Emma Faith. I had the contractions.. Oh boy did I have em. For a week solid, every 3-5 minutes. Then they completely stopped around 39 wks. At my 36 wk appointment, the doctor was like "Oh Yeah! By the end of the week." Then my 37 wk appointment. "Oh yeah, within 72 hours." Bc I was SOO READY! Dialated to a 1 1/2 - Check. Contractions - Check. Other (disgusting) signs of Labor - Check. 38 wk appointment rolls around. Same thing. "Within the next 48 hrs." I went 40 wks and 3 days past my due date!! Whaaaaat!!

On Monday I had my 40 wk appointment. I was at 1 cm 75% effaced. Dr. Seeker wanted me to come back the next day since I was having somewhat regular contractions. So Tuesday rolls around I'm barely at a 2 and 85%. So Wednesday morning my contractions turned painful. I go in around noon to get checked out and they send me upstairs to be monitored and see if its "Active Labor." I was thinking Active Labor? Isn't painful contractions active??!! At around 8ish that night they decided to admit me to Labor and Delivery wanting to monitor me over night just in case. Everyone was waiting for my water to break. ONLY on mild pain meds through VERY intense contractions for over 24 hours was exhausting. Thursday morning I still didn't know if they were going to send me home or officially admit me bc I was still at a "Barely 2." Around 10ish I think, I don't remember bc of my pain level, a nurse came in and started to prep the room for delivery and Dr. Seeker broke my water. My pain level went from what I thought was a 10 to well over 20!! haha!! I had made it to a "Tight 3" and an hour later we discussed Epidural. I wanted to wait because I was afraid it would slow down the process of dilating. (Since I was already having a hard time with that). Around 3 Dr. Seeker came in and was very sentimental about everything and was very concerned it just wasn't happening. So By 4 pm we decided a C-Section was the best option. So we bypassed an epidural and got a spinal block. Talk about INSTANT relief!!

Everything happened SO FAST!! Ladd couldn't come into the OR right a way and that's when I got super nervous. I was so convinced that something was going to go wrong. After a minor panic attack, Ladd shows up. I just remember even though I couldn't physically feel it, I felt VERY exposed when they were prepping me. So Ladd shows up about the time the warming blankets do, at this point I was shaking uncontrollably. Within minutes our Blessing arrives!! Unlike my C-section with Greyson, I was awake and coherent the WHOLE time! I remember everything! haha!

The reason why Emma wouldn't come vbac was bc the cord was wrapped around her several times not allowing her to drop properly which would have helped with dilation.

 So after staying 4 days in the hospital we made it home. I didn't want to leave for the fear of Massive surgery and 2 children probably didn't mix well, so we stayed an extra day. Greyson and Braelyn love their new sister and are CONSTANTLY fighting over who likes her more and who can hold her next. I was hoping the new would wear off with them but at almost 4 mths old its still an on going battle with those two!

 

WEEK 1

 

Thank God my mom and Ladd was here to help. I milked the whole "I have a 6 inch incision" all I could!! Haha But seriously its hard to keep up with 2 kids and a newborn and being disabled like that. I told Ladd the next time we have a baby we need to plan on it coming around fall time, when the other kids go back to school.

 

 This is my Granny Haehn and these are ALL her Great Grand Kids. You can tell she was having a BLAST!!

 

LADD'S NEW JOB

 

Ladd had recently accepted a new job with Baker Hughes which put him away for unknown amounts of time and being home for unknown amounts of time. Its a GREAT opportunity for him so he can move up the ladder and also for our growing family. So of course this new job has basically made me a Single Stay at Home Mom, which I don't mind at all bc I absolutely LOVE my children, but I have NO clue how other women do it, especially if they don't have family to help out. I know I wouldn't have made it through summer with out the help of my mother in law, my parents and the occasional Ladd. You know since I have a 5 yr old that acts like a teenager and an adorable 3 yr old who's smile just melts your heart which allows her to get away with murder, it gets super difficult. Three kids and playing "Single Mom," takes multitasking to a WHOLE new level!! 



And So IT Begins...

Its been over a week since I last posted. To catch you up, Greyson's T-Ball team is doing very well. Each practice and game they are getting so much better and really catching on and learning new things. They have about a week and half before their next game so I have been really focusing on getting ready for Baby M.

Last Saturday, the 5th, my amazingly talented friend from college, Blaire, took my maternity photos. She only posted a few to her Facebook page as sneak peaks but I will get the disk soon with so much more on it!! Her page is Sweat Pea Photography by Blaire. Check her out if you are in the Houston area and wanting GREAT pictures!!

Tuesday night Ladd went back to work in Houston for 2 weeks. Tuesday afternoon I had a Doctors appointment to check on the progress of the baby and see if there was any action. The ultrasound showed Baby M is doing GREAT! She is going to petite with long legs(measuring at 2 wks ahead) and big lips weighing about 6 1/2 pounds!! In the ultrasound you could see her already "taking breathes" as the nurse said. She said this is a good indicator she is ready!! :) Her head is right on with how many weeks I am (36). Which says a lot considering Greyson AND Braelyn's heads always measure a good 2-3 ahead and low and behold they were born with big noggins. So after the doctor checked me I was at a 1.5 and about 10% effaced meaning NOT QUITE yet but within the next week or two. At this point I had already started the dreaded Braxtin Hicks contractions just randomly here and there. In comparison with Greyson and Braelyn, these started about a week or so before they were born. After telling the doctor this he basically told me not to wait till my water breaks to come in. If the contractions started on a regular interval and progressed into painful to come in with out hesitation bc she is so petite and the other two weren't AND bc 3rd babies are a breeze. 

Well with that being said, yesterday (Thursday), while eating out lunch with my mom with a planned Hobby Lobby trip, I started to have contractions. Nothing to write home about bc they were NOT painful and only lasted 10-15 secs and 2 minutes apart. Well after about 30 minutes they started to get painful and the pain wrapped around to  back. Freaking out bc I didn't want to drop the baby in the middle of the restaurant, I decided to call the doctor and went in to get checked. AND of course by the time I was hooked up to the monitors the actual contractions stopped but the pain remained. The nursed called it, 3rd Baby Syndrome. Where my abdominal muscles have already been stretched out by 2 babies allowing the baby to move down quicker causing my "lady parts" to contract which can be painful. So after walking for an hour and being rechecked, no change, BUT I did move up to a 2!! WHOOP!! So my paranoia got the best of me but it never hurts to be safe than sorry. So now being the next day, I am SUPER sore and my hips hurt. Basically it feels like I did a million crunches and lifted a ton with my back!! So Ladd is praying the baby holds out for at least another week so he wont have to take off work. Ill be 37 weeks on Sunday, so I am hoping she holds out a little longer too.  But the anticipation and un-comfortableness is KILLING ME!! I have a feeling it will be the end of next week. EASTER WEEKEND!! :) I go back to the doctor on Tuesday for my weekly visits now, so we will see if she is wanting to come as bad as everyone else wants her too!!

Annual River Trip to Bastrop

So this past week Ladd has been camping on the Colorado River right outside Bastrop. This has been an annual thing for his family and has been since way before Ladd. While he was out roughing it (no running water or electricity) I stayed back in Taylor to take kids to school and T-Ball practices/games. Friday Greyson was let out of school early so we went straight out there bc during the week he was having a hard time with not being out there too.

Wednesday night all three of the Moehnke Boys where out there and of course there needed to be a picture taken. 

Papa was teaching Greyson how to bait the lines. According the Ladd he baited every one of the lines this trip.

Thats blood bait. 

He was definitely excited he got to help the whole time. Even with driving back to camp.

T-Ball is in the Air

Well T-Ball is in full swing now. The practice we had on Friday was quite comical. This is the first time we had them in positions and Brad (one of my assistant coaches) hit the ball to them. Well I guess we failed to discuss if the ball isn't coming to your general direction you stay put. It was like a little herd going after the ball and when they reached it, it was like a huge dog pile. So we had to come up with a creative way to say "DON'T MOVE UNLESS IT'S COMING TO YOU!" without having them stay put completely. *Does that make sense?* So they FINALLY got it down and started to get some good plays in.

Greyson had his first game this past Saturday. It truly is amazing what these little 5/6 yr olds can do! Lets start off with the weather. Man it was humid. It was like I was back in Houston! When the sun came out it was almost unbearable! Thankfully the kids were having too much fun to realize they were slowly melting! haha.. There were a few who thought they were dying but they made it through.

When it was game time I met the other coach at pitchers mound to discuss game plan. She failed to tell me the way she plays is once the ball in fielded (on defense) hold it up to call time, which pauses the game not allowing the runner to run past one base. I had two players who hit the ball way past the infield (a dbl without errors) but couldn't get past first bc the ball was fielded and held up, thus pausing any game play. My team on the other hand has been practicing throwing to first after fielding the ball and continue to play. I had no idea about the "hold it up to call time" rule. So mid-game we learned to accommodate so we didn't have the bases emptied on us every batter.  After the game we (the coaches) decided to go ahead and do what we have taught them and if its over thrown at first base, THEN we would hold the ball up to call time. The other way wasn't teaching them anything other than to call time. They weren't playing ball.. In the end we had 17 runs with only 2 outs against us. I would say it was a pretty successful game played considering it was our first. Those little guys loved every minute of it! 

We had Team pictures Saturday morning then Opening Ceremonies afterwards. 

One little boy actually hit a pop fly and was hit just past Greyson

He gets so excited!! He jumps up and down with the best GRIN on his face. 

After correcting him a MILLION times on how his hands should be on the bat (from right handed) we decided that maybe the way he was holding it was easier (which was left handed). So the coach that helped with batting, Brad, suggested lets put him on the left handed side and see how he does. Well low and behold he whacks the ball EVERY time! Way better than from the right side. YAY! My boy is a left handed hitter.. WHOOP!

SPRING 2014 - TAYLOR LITTLE LEAGUE - WHITE SOX

My little Pep-Talk before the game. 

Excitement was an understatement

Braelyn was wanting a picture with her "best friend" . That's what she calls him :) 

Holy Guacomole!!

Holy Cow its been over two years since I last posted!! You know the 2 kids thing kind of side tracks you from the cyber world! Well in a Nutshell here is what has happened in the past year or so...




1.) In the beginning of 2012, Ladd and I started to house hunt. After many out bids and lost dream homes, we decided to build at the end of the summer. We found the perfect location/lot that backed up to a nature preserve. To me it felt like Country in the city bc at night you heard the coyotes and bull frogs and it would have been PERFECT for Riley and Dakota.

2.) Shortly after signing our lives away to start our home, Riley (Ladd's dog of almost 11 years) got sick. After a week of trying everything from steroids to antibiotics, the Vet ruled it as either a bleeding ulcer or Cancer neither of which would be easy to fix. We could have sent him to Texas A&M, run tons of tests, and still have no answers or cure. So Ladd made the decision to put him "down". While driving to Taylor to lay him to rest, I had to explain to Greyson what was going on, all the while Ladd is bawling. That was by far the hardest thing I have had to do is explain why God needed Riley so badly and why he wouldn't be with us any more while your husband is in tears.

To this day that little shit head of a dog, that NEVER stayed out the flower beds, that NEVER quit running, that could stare at a spec for HOURS, that could swim in place for HOURS, that could love on you and be the best lap dog ever, that destroyed your yard with trails, is missed so dearly. His gawd awful stinky collar hangs by the back door by his plaque and every now and then I will literally say out loud, "Dang Riley you STINK!!" I think its him reminding us not to forget about him :)

Riley (aka: Rilious Maximous, Forest, Max) - Jan 2002 - June 20, 2012

3.) On Feb 15th 2013 we signed on our house and moved in!

4.) Over the next few months I started my own business, LiveLaughLearn Preschool and without elaborating too much my life changed forever on May 6th. I am hoping with my new found free time (bc both kids are in school) I will write it all down so people can hear my testimony. Hoping I can remember it all because at times things were such a blur.

5.) In the midst of the chaotic storm, on August 22nd, we found out we were expecting little bundle of joy #3! At first I was SO sure it was twins bc I was the sickest I had ever been when pregnant. It was so bad I lost 30 lbs. in just 2 months! Thankfully right around 18 wks, I started feeling better and food was appetizing again! Mid December we found out we are having another girl, which Ladd's reaction wasn't as joyous as mine, his was more like, oh crap. Or his exact words, "oh Greeeaat". None the less we are thrilled! Baby M is expected to arrive May 5th.

6.) Around the beginning of November Ladd and I made the decision to sell our house and move close to family so I can have help with the kids while he is away at his new prospective job in the Oil Field. So over Christmas break we packed up and moved to Taylor, TX. Right around the corner from Ladd's parents and only 2 hrs from mine (which was 5 to Houston)


7.) Greyson is now going to Pre-K at St. Pauls Lutheran School here in Taylor and he is loving every minute of it (except nap "rest" time). Braelyn is in a Mothers Day Out program where she goes 3 days a week and she loves it too. She comes home so excited and tells me all about her day. And I may be bias but she is SO DARN cute carrying her back pack (which is almost as big as she is. I have no IDEA how she is so petite, she eats like a grown person, no lie).

8.) Just this month Greyson has started T-ball. His first game is this coming Saturday and he is too excited. He has been practicing with Ladd and I for a while now but he goes to his first official team practice tmrw. He cant wait to wear all his gear. I got him a matte finish Maroon helmet and he has been wearing it all over the house. He keeps saying he cant wait to hit a homerun like Tristan. OH did I mention I am the coach of his team!! We had a practice last Monday (which G missed) and I had a BLAST!! Ladd said I did extremely well and that he was amazed at how awesome my little 5/6 yr olds did! I cant wait for tmrw night!!

With all this being said, my goal is to this updated. HA! With Baby M arriving just over a month now, I cant guarantee any thing but maybe setting a weekly reminder will help! And since its been 2 yrs since Ive been on here they have changed everything up and now Im not quite sure how to download pics. ..  :/

Still playing Catch-up!!

FAMILY PICTURES AUGUST 2011