You think I would have it figured out by now...

Ember starts kindergarten this year. I am really torn on whether to put her in full day or half day. I am at home all day, and have a degree in education, so it isn't like I need her to be in kindergarten all day. What would you do? I have listed some pros and cons of each. Let me know what you would do if you were in my spot. Can you think of any other pros and cons?

Full Day
Pros
-Is at the same school as Jaxen.
- school schedule: 8:50-3:30
-One car trip in the morning, carpooling with another family.
-Won't have to cart a newborn around.
-She wants to go to "Jaxen's school".
Cons
-My niece went full day and she was exhausted by the end of the day and would fall asleep around 5.
- Not sure if it is really enough transition from preschool two hours two days a week to full day every day.
-She will be in school the rest of her life, does she really need to go full day for kindergarten?

Half Day
Pros
-She could play with Owen in the afternoons.
-Easier transition...she didn't go to preschool but for two hours two days a week.
-Jaxen went half day. (I know all children are different, but I felt it was good for him.)
-She knows most of her alphabet and sounds and can count to 30 easily and can write her name. So it isn't like she is going in with nothing. (Yes, some children go in with nothing.)
-I could supplement at home.
Cons
-8:25-11:50 (give or take) The time isn't bad, see next con.
-Two trips a day (Once in the morning dropping of her and then Jaxen) and another to pick her up around lunch. Both trips done before 12 AM making for a busy morning.
-Different school.

Kaysen James

Kaysen James was born on July 13, 2009 at 11:21 a.m. He weighed 9 pounds 13.9 ounces. Yes, you read right, 9 pounds 13.9 ounces.

I had been having contractions that continued to get closer and harder the night of the July 12th. By morning, they were about 5 minutes apart. We called Grandma to come and watch the kids so we could get ready to go to the hospital. I decided to take a last minute shower. As I am in the shower, I have a really hard contraction and literally feel Kaysen move down. I got out of the shower and Shaun said my stomach was definitely lower.

After the shower the contractions stopped...and were spread out more like every 30 minutes. Grandma came and we decided to go for a walk. Shaunton and I walked around Fiesta Mall with all the old people and new mothers trying to get into shape. I think I was the only one stopping every now in then trying to get through a contraction. We were deciding whether or not we were going to go to the hospital or just wait to see if things picked up.

I had thought my water might be broken (just a tear), so by 3, we decided to go and get it checked out, just because we didn't want to wait and have a stalled labor with an empty sack.

We get there and get checked. Yes, my water is broken and they are going to keep me. At this point it is 3:30 and I am fully effaced and two centimeters dilated.

Lots of walking and talking and laboring later, and my labor stalls at 7 centimeters for quite a few hours. The nurse comes in and talks about getting an epi to help me (and my body) relax so it can open the rest of the way. At this point, I had been doing well with the contractions, but decided to go ahead with the epi in an effort to avoid a c-section at any cost.

At about 6 am I am checked and I am only a 7. My bag of water is bulging out and his head is against it, so hence the stall. The doctor breaks the part that is hanging out. There is a little meconium in it. We continue with the labor.

Two hours later the nurse checks, I am at an 8. This time, the bulb from the catheter is blocking. They push it behind his head.

A few hours later, I am at a 9. A few minutes later I have a trial push and it was decreed that I was ready and the doctor was called.

The doctor comes in and we start with the pushing. I had an epi, but by the time we were ready to push, I could feel contractions and the urge to push.

I pushed for about 20 minutes before little man was born. As he was being born the doctor told me to look at his head. At first I couldn't see past my stomach, but then I was able to see his head, and was able to watch his shoulders come out along with the rest of his body. It was a neat experience. He was immediately laid on my chest. I mentioned out loud how heavy he was. The doctor said I hid him well. The nurses took him to do all the vital about 15 minutes later and they actually weighed him twice to verify. I think more because I am "small" then because he didn't look that big. I guess he dropped a big one before he got weighed, because they were sure if he waited to go, he might have been a 10 pounder.Late babies are like lizards, and shed lots of skin. LOL

He is a hefty one. He has taken to breastfeeding and I have to wake him up right now because he likes to sleep.I have a second degree tear and pretty much feel fine, it not just a little sore. So, even though I ended up with a medicated birth, it was still ok with me because my ultimate goal was to avoid another c-section.

Baby Update

The real update is that there is no baby yet. But here are the details.

My doctor is willing to let me VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) if I go into labor on my own. As you can see, apparently my body has other plans. This comes as no surprise seeing as how two of the three children I have now were induced at 42 weeks.

BUT, if I don't go into labor on my own before 42 weeks, they will not induce, I will have to have a c-section. This is because the medicines they use to induce could cause my uterus to rupture. I guess the fake stuff is a lot more different than what your body produces.

So, here is to hoping that this child of mine, can be the first to come naturally on his own. No induction, no c-section, just plain old natural painful (yet not as painful as with Pitocin) labor. Send me your labor vibes.

I have tried everything (you really don't want all the details do you?) to get this baby of mine moving on out.

I bought Castor Oil...but have been too chicken to use it...I will probably get desperate enough as the weekend approaches.

I had the doctor strip my membranes the last two times I have gone in...and even called today to schedule a last minute stripping for Monday. Anything to avoid a c-section.

I even walked the zoo today for 5 hours in the heat...with three kids...did I mention the heat???

My c-section is scheduled for July 15th at 10:30 am. (Which will put me at 42 weeks and 1 day.)

Hey, I knew he was going to be a July baby...just not mid-July. Now I will have baby birthdays in May (5th), June (12th), July (TBD) and August (3rd). (Their birthdays should have been April, May, June and November, but what is a few weeks/months?)

My Baby

My baby (which is still in utero) has feet that measure 3 1/4 inches long from heel to toe. The lady asked if all my other kids had big feet. Um, no.

I am so glad...

that I am not famous. I am not a huge MJ fan (he has some really good songs), but I feel bad for the guy. I have been thinking about this a lot since there really is no escaping the media on this.

Most of us are lucky enough to pass on due to old age and have those we love surround us. For others, something tragic maybe, but we are still remembered lovingly by our family and loved ones and our life is celebrated.

Most of us are not put under a microscope and our whole life analyzed over and over again. Every misdeed, every error, every questionable judgment reviewed again and again. I mean, even those of us who didn't live the best lives, who weren't the best people to those around us, who weren't the best mother/father/sister/brother/friend have the ability to die and move on without the recap, at least a very public one.

I guess it just got me thinking that I am glad that I don't have to worry about such a national public outing of my life in review. The good, the bad, and even, the ugly. My family will get to remember me and celebrate my life.

I guess you could say it boils down to choices, but even then, we all make choices, and most of us don't have to have each one covered by the national media. I guess you could say it goes with the territory of being a celebrity, but then, isn't everyone deserving of some privacy and respect once they die, no matter what the cause may or may not be? No matter how they chose to live their life?