and then there were six...

just like that!  

he's a little purple…  he had a cord wrapped around his whole body!

daddy loving on his baby boy!!

more daddy snuggles!

sweet face.

kisses!

snuggles.

more of this precious face!

all 8 pounds of him.  and he's 21 inches long.

brandon peter haile made his debut in this world at 1820 hst on 03 mar 2014.  (in case you were wondering, that is also the anniversary of when david and i met!!  how fun!)

(disclaimer… i tried to keep it not too gory, but here's the "story"!) 

(another disclaimer… i also didn't mean to make that rhyme!)

david and i had talked at the beginning of my pregnancy about the possibility of being induced just before he left.  and then again over the weekend before b was born.  neither time did we want to jump on that.  as much as i wanted david there, and as much as i wanted to plan and control things, it just didn't feel right.  it was still a little early (37+5 weeks), it was a crazy week for david, etc.  

i laughed at one point, and commented that i could still have the baby that day or any time, really!

so, i went in for my appointment.  and my water broke!

d's ship was at the ammo station, which is in the west loch of pearl harbor.  all that really means is that he has to take a bus/van/car/boat to get to the ship from the naval station.  so, he drives his five minutes to work, and then has an alternate mode of transportation to the ship.

what that meant to me, that day, was that i knew it could take him over an hour to get to me at the hospital.  so, i called the phone number i had been given to reach him on the ship, not knowing who would answer!  i was told david was in a brief.  i told the nice person that his wife was going to have a baby, and could they kindly let him know?  (i said it very calmly and sweetly…)

all david knew at that point was that this guy came running in to his brief, panting and anxious.  and that they had a small boat waiting for him to jump in to to get back to his car.  and make it to the hospital in record time!!

i was 3 cm, and not really contracting at this point, but wanted to wait to do anything more until i knew david was in route!  also made more difficult by the fact that i had NO cell phone signal…  

david beat my friend (who was going to come sit with me till he could get there) to the hospital.  he'd even stopped at home to get my bag!  and we laughed at the fact that we had continually said "no" to intentionally having the baby that day!  but, God has a great sense of humor!!!  a good reminder of who is in control!

david got to the hospital sometime before 3pm.  and then we started just a bit of pitocin.  i was still only 4 cm and getting pretty uncomfortable.  i decided to just talk to the anesthesia lady, just in case, and quickly decided i actually wanted her services!  by the time i was done getting my epidural, i was 8 cm and still pretty uncomfortable!  my amazing midwife got all set up for delivery, and then we had a baby!  

just like with christopher, david got to catch brandon.  it was so cool!  

we seem to be healing/recovering/growing well!  brandon sleeps like a champ and his brothers and sister are so amazingly in love.  

last day as a family of 5!

the water table

he had such a blast… once he realized it was okay to get wet!

they found the hole to squeeze in!

she was the waitress

and he a chef!

making lunch.

such great service!

my little athlete!

trying out the wheelchair.  she was REALLY good at it!  

the newest news anchors.

they also double as weathermen.

in her favorite place… on stage!

c decided to join her!

all three of my crazies!

he found some stuffed animals in the library…  had to have them all!

snuggles with my boy.

picking pineapples.

boarding the (pretend- but cool mock up) plane.

raising the flags.

c sat like this for over 30 minutes.  we had to bribe him off.  

SERIOUSLY!  we couldn't GET him to stay in his seat 2 months ago!

she got to fly the plane!

and row a boat!!

and sew…  i LOVED that she wanted to do this.  

due to high seas again (our version of a snow day!!!), d's ship got sent home early from an exercise.  it was the last weekend before they deployed, and they were supposed to be gone all of it.  we got an extra day and a half.  

we had hoped to go to the beach one last time for some family time, but rain deterred us.  so, we went to the children's discovery center.  we won a gift certificate there last year, and have never used it.  (quite honestly, i didn't want to brave it by myself!!)  it was SO MUCH FUN!  we were there for 2 1/2 hours, and could have stayed twice that long!  

we knew that they days left as this family of 5 were numbered… as were the days with daddy in hawaii.  it was so much fun to enjoy.  

more of before…

snuggling with my baby.  while he was still my baby!

silly faces!

sunglasses...

and his phone...

last fam trip to the beach!

smiles.

our favorite beach.  

tubing.

the rode the waves all morning.

more of the view...

chair thief.

playing with personal penguin.  he loves getting his pics taken!

we took the kids out of school on david's last day of leave to spend the day at the beach.  he was supposed to have 2 days off in his last three weeks home.  and we weren't sure we would get much family time when d gets back, before we move.

it was a fun day at the beach.  the kids (and d) were exhausted from riding the waves.  

deploying...

U.S.S. O'Kane deploys

from our news… you can see david so well at about 1:12…

before...

36 weeks pregnant

silliness before bedtime!

brothers don't shake hands...

he found the baby hat and decided it's his...

painting nails with a friend!  how did she get so big??

his "creation".  cracker, turkey, cheese, apple, cracker.  he was so proud (despite the look on his face!)

i have seen the quote "a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor" several places recently.  (but never with an author…)  it has convicted me (especially in regards to my previous post) again, that a smooth sea, an easy life, one that i can control easily doesn't help me.  it doesn't make me rely on God.  it makes me rely on me and what i can do.  i forgot to say that the other day.  i have really been trying to just trust.  

i have also been feeling guilty.  guilty that i didn't watch the kids closely enough and they got hurt.  guilty that i napped instead of cleaned or played.  guilty that i raised my voice to harshly (even though children needed to hear they were disobeying!).  guilty that i am not doing more.  guilty that i am not doing less.  guilty for not cooking more dinners, but letting the kids have "lunchables" (see james' pic above) for dinner.  guilty for trying to control.  guilty for not being the person i want to be, and should be.  guilty for not feeling as guilty as i should, but making excuses about this "phase" of life.  (deployment, new baby, 9 months pregnant, pcs move, pic your excuse!)

d and i were talking about it last night- well, i was crying.  (see above excuse list… 9 months pregnant, deployment, etc)  he was so patient and so comforting.  and reminded me of the truth.  of the good things i am doing.  of the good mother i am.  that our kids are fed.  and safe.  and happy.   i am so thankful for him!  and that he loves me enough to be patient with me!

catching up...

playing at the beach with my boy.

when he sees my phone out, he knows it's picture time.  

so, he goes to an appropriate distance to take a "cheese".  

loving this boy.  and he loves watching the airplanes!

my little valentine.

i have been soaking up all the time with him recently, knowing that these moments we won't have again!  he's growing up so fast… and is such a sweet, good boy.  i have people DAILY tell me how much they LOVE his sweet little personality!  

nora's valentine journal entry!

my three valentines!  aren't they cute.  

(side note- best of the pics i tried to get!!)

all snuggled up.  i love when they have fun together!

reading devotions to his "guys".  he routinely sets them up in various places throughout the house and reads his little Bible to them.  it's so cute!!

we haven't had a lot of time with daddy recently.  and i think daddy is feeling it the most!  his work schedule has been crazy since he went back to work on the 14th.  the first week, he worked till 9pm every night.  last week was about 6:30.  he was supposed to be gone all weekend, but thanks to high surf advisories, he got to come back yesterday at lunch!  (we may not get snow days, but i'll take any extra time with him i can get!)

the time we have all been home, it's been so fun.  i have been trying to stay on top of things around the house, knowing at any point, someone will walk in to take over for me for a few days.  i would feel better if it weren't so messy!  add that to a move in a few months, and i have been nesting like crazy!  the play room has gotten cleaned and organized, as have the kids' rooms.  also, under the sink and our "harry potter" closet, under the stairs.  it makes it all seem so much more manageable!

and, i can control it.  this is where my control issues come out!  i can't control david leaving, or the crazy schedule.  i can't control all the details of the move- when we move, our dates of packing out, our new house on the other side.  i can't control WHEN this new baby decides to come.  but, i am TRYING (and not always succeeding) to control the things i can.  which isn't always a good thing.   (a clean house is, however!!)

i firmly believe God has a plan.  and it will work out for HIS glory.  and in HIS time.  it might not be mine.  and it might not be what works best for me, in my mind.  but, He continues to prove that HIS plan is so far better than mine!  and i am trusting in that.  and that He has given me so many good friends here to help take care of me.  DAILY, someone new offers to help if i need it.