Happy Birthday, AJ!!

Today was AJ's 6th birthday. We didn't do much, and I wish we were able to. We went to Sofia's concert at her school, then came home and had ice cream cake for AJ. One of these years, I am going to have a HUGE party for him. He's never had a big party because we've never been able to afford one this close to Christmas, but that needs to change.

I can't believe how big he's gotten! My itty bitty 5 pound 14 ounce baby has grown into a 41 pound 6 year old. His birth was fairly uneventful. Went to the hospital on the 15th in the AM, given a dose of cytotec (or was it cervidil?) to help my cervix, Pitocin started, and that was that. I tried an unmedicated birth, but the hot tub was NOT hot enough. They said it couldn't be any hotter than 98 degrees. For me, that was unacceptable. I took showers hot enough to turn my skin lobster red. The "hot tub" felt cold. I got out, and just tried to deal with the pain. After a while, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I do believe I was 5cm when I got the epidural. It didn't take long after that for me to hit 10cm. It was about 9:30. My preferred Midwife, Melodye, was off for the day. However, by the time it was time to push, she was there. She came when we first got settled in, bringing a gift for Sofia and 2 blankets for the baby. It was such a relief to have her walk in when she did. I really did NOT want someone else delivering my baby. Absolutely uneventful after that. 30 minutes of pushing, and he was here! 10pm, 5lbs 14oz, 19 inches long.

Look at my baby boy!! He's so big now!

AJ considered Sofia's concert to be his gift. It was awesome, and he loved it. I had taken a video using Anthony's phone, but for some reason, it refuses to upload. So, for now, please let the photos be enough :)

Sofia is in yellow      Gianna has had enough of being held          Can you spot Sofia here?