Coming out of the fog

Caleb is three weeks old tomorrow.

I am coming out of the fog and finally joining the real world.

Sorry we have not posted more and added pictures like we should have but to be honest...Caleb is the third child and Neal and I are having to remember to take pictures. My guess is that Anna Grace had probably been photographed about 200 times by the time she was 3 weeks - Caleb is doing good to have 50 photos and that is probably a stretch.

So what is it like around our house, you ask? Well to be honest it is a zoo. It is non-stop action from sun up to sun down (literally from 5:22 this morning until now). Caleb is still the new thing around here. Anna Grace and Dean still love to hold him or go in his room and "check on him" while he is sleeping. They are still excited he is here and gentle with him. I keep thinking that it will not last but maybe it will. I think my biggest struggle is the balance of time between the 3 of them. Thus far One and Two are fine with less attention from me but I am not content with it; I feel like I miss opportunites with them - to teach, play, watch, just be with them. However, I know this window will be closing soon and it will be much easier to divide my time more evenly.

This is my first week to be at the house by myself with all three of them. I am guessing that by Thursday I am going to be praying for the weekend to come. However today I think went pretty smoothly all things considered. Dean had one accident in his big boy pants; everyone ate well; there were few fights; Caleb slept well during his naptimes; and he received a wonderful report from the pediatrician this afternoon. We will see how well tomorrow goes.

A huge thanks goes out to everyone who brought us food the past few weeks. When I get to the store to buy stamps and thank you cards - hopefully in the next day or two - I will get a note to you. We really are extremely appreciative.

If the pictures were uploaded from the camera I would share a few with you but I turn into a pumpkin in 1 minute so no time now. Maybe that should be a goal for tomorrow...get pictures on the computer and a few on the blog.

Good night all!

So Sorry to be So Tardy

Well, I should have done this yesterday - not like I have been busy or anything, Ha! But...

Caleb Suell Hatchett was born yesterday morning at 7:16 am. He weighs 8 pounds, 1 ounce and is 20 inches long. The nurses in the OR told me as soon as they got him out that he looked like Neal. While it is not a carbon copy or anything like that I have to agree because he does not look like me. Thanks for all your prayers; we really appreciate it. My recovery is going well. We are truly blessed.

Dean is unsure of it all but does say, "I like Caleb, Mommy." Anna Grace on the other hand is fired up about the boy. I think she considers him to be her new babydoll. This morning when she came in all I could get from her was, "Hey, Daddy; can I hold Caleb now?" She absolutely adores him.

That is all for now. I promise, Neal is working on a slideshow of everyone; it should be added tonight so there will be pictures galore very soon.

Thinking on a Friday Night

I know I have mentioned this book before - When Sinners Say "I Do" - but our Shepherding Group is reading it together slowly, very slowly. This month we are to read the fourth chapter, which gives a deeper look into the sinfulness of our own hearts and how that affects our relationships, specifically marriages. However as I read tonight (I know exciting Friday night at the Hatchett house but keep in mind Caleb is coming in 3 days.) I was struck by how amazingly applicable these truths are in all areas of life and how different all of my relationships would be if I applied such simple truth daily.

I think this was my favorite part; I will leave you with this...

"It is very important in our Christian lives to be suspicious of any claims to righteousness we bring to our relationship with God...True humility is living confident in Christ's righteousness, and suspicious of our own...When we seek to address difficulties in our [relationships], does a humble suspicion of our hearts influence our assumptions and approach?...To be suspicious of my own heart is to acknowledge two things: that my heart has a central role in my behavior, and that my heart has a permanent tendency to oppose God and his ways."
(taken from pages 63-64)

The Best Husband Ever

We are down to the wire with Caleb - 4 days and counting. Neal had the forethought to give me a gift certificate for a pre-natal massage. I decided to wait to use it until just before Caleb's arrival. Wow! It was just what we needed to stop the contractions, remove some of the muscle tension and get me to calm down some.

I am sure some of you had heard me say before that the pre/post-natal massage at Richard Joseph were better than others I have had because they use the heated water bed. I had a post-natal massage there after Anna Grace was born and compared that to the pre-natal massage "elsewhere" (I don't want to discredit the work of other spas in town) when I was pregnant with Dean. Well their pre-natal massage is worth every penny and then some - it might be considered the best value in town!

So all you pregant girls save your money and call for your appointment (after your 1st trimester of course and with your doctor's permission I guess even though I did not ask) but make sure you ask for Ann she is the best! Those of you who don't live in Birmingham, come visit friends and family but carve out an hour while you are here.

Thanks, Neal, for such a wonderful present...Let's have 10 more children so I have a good excuse to keep going back!

Anna Grace has declaired...

About ten minutes ago Anna Grace officially declared that she would like to bring Caleb a present when she comes to see him at the hospital. I thought that was really sweet and said, "OK, well we can go to the store and buy him a toy or something for you to give him." I was about to ask what she had in mind but before I could she said, "I don't want to get a toy for him. I want to give him a toothbrush, a green kind, for a boy."

There you have it...It might be a little premature but Anna Grace will be bringing a toothbrush up to the hospital to give Caleb; that is after the two of us go to the store and find a green one that is suitable for a boy!

Catching Up

Last week Neal was out of town for work. Thankfully my mom was hear to help but I was still not able to get into the normal groove for the week. One of the things that fell to the wayside was reading/writing blogs and emails. I have a ton of emails currently in my in box that need addressing - for the most part they need reading as well. So if you have been waiting on me, "Sorry!" I am currently working on it.

As for food, well this week things are pretty boring but last week I cooked something new that was extremely easy and very tasty. It was Grilled Portobello-Goat Cheese Pitas. Yes it was girly food but it was just me and my mom. I made it again for lunch on Saturday for Neal and me and while he did not want to admit it he liked it as well. Would he be willing to eat it on a regular basis? Probably not but he had to admit that it was pretty tasty. And one more thought about it, I used feta instead of goat cheese.

Now a quick story from today...or maybe it should be considered a glimpse into my sick head. First though let me digress and say that Neal complains all the time and says I get the biggest laughs out of his peril. As much as I hate to admit it, he is right. When he gets in an awkward situation or something bad - but not too bad - happens to him I somehow always manage to find it funny. Now back to the story, about a month ago I let the children pick out some new boxers for Neal; they chose the ones with sports stuff all over them - basketball stuff, golf stuff, etc. Well what no one was expecting was for Dean to be fired up about them as much as he is. If Dean happens to come in before Neal gets his pants on while wearing his new sporty boxers, Dean starts pointing and yells (multiple times mind you), "Balls! Balls! Look balls!" (or something of that nature). Every time I can't help it, I laugh; it doesn't matter where in the house I am, I laugh. Today as I was folding clothes I saw them and laughed in anticipation for what is to come. I need help I know.

That's My King

Good stuff:

Checklist for the Trip Home

Headphones to listen to Charlotte's Web on the car's DVD player....check.

Tinkerbell lunch pail....check.

Pink purse with pink boa strap....check.

Sucking thumb....check.

Maintaining image that I'm a manly man........ummmmm.


Completely secure in my manhood....check.

This Week's Food

We had a wonderful Easter and time with family. I will post more about that later but for now here is this week's menu.

Lima Beans and Rice
French Bread

Mustard-Dill Tortellini Salad
Boiled Shrimp (I am omitting the sauce and putting them in the salad.)
French Bread

Grilled Basil and Garlic Pork Chops
Basmati Rice and Peas
Salad

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Green Beans
Sliced Tomatoes

Waffles
Fresh Fruit
Bacon

Anna Grace was late for "school" today

I know what you are thinking, "Who cares?" It is just Mother's Day Out so technically we can't be late - unless we are referring to pick up, then we can be late and it is costly. Never the less, she was late today and here is why...

A catalog came in the mail yesterday and for whatever reason I kept it. It usually gets thrown away immediately because my mom and my aunt shop out of it - so naturally there would be nothing for me in it. I mean no offense to them but ever sense I can remember it has been a place where they liked to shop for their clothes. So I thought I would check it out really quick, they do have some cute children's stuff usually, the only problem was it took me almost 30 minutes because there was all sorts of things in it that I liked! When I realized what was happening I was mortified. I ran upstairs not to just throw on clothes and take Anna Grace to MDO but instead to shower, put on make up, do my hair and try to find something trendy to put on - which when it comes to maternity clothes that can be a little hard.

So now I beg of you, please tell me that you too are young and have decided that L.L.Bean has cute clothes and bathing suits (even if you are lying). Or tell me that you are old and have decided that they have become too trendy for your tastes. But please whatever you do don't tell me that I have become my mother! (Which I guess really would not be so bad and certainly not the end of the world.)

And, Mom, if you read this post please try not to get your feelings hurt. I am sure sometimes you and Aunt Linda panic when you think one day you might turn into your mom and wear "pumps" or "flats" everyday and your skirts hemmed at an awkward length. I know I am a horrible person...If I wasn't I would have just typed a great blog about how trendy my mom and aunt must be!