Happy Easter!

It is so nice to have a quiet weekend planned to celebrate Easter this year. We don't have to travel and we aren't having company for the first time. After the last couple of weeks, the change of pace is welcomed.

I buy farm fresh brown eggs from a local farmer. We started to color our eggs and Makenna declared that she wants to dye hers white so they look "normal". Whatever!

"It Happened in a City"

Makenna was able to participate in another play at Hannah's church. She was "story teller #2" and did a great job. She sounded much older speaking on stage as she told the true Easter story of Jesus' death on the cross. The group photo is the entire cast hugging Mr. Troupe who has been a very patient director for the plays. The kids just love him.

Kate's mood today

Kate woke in a quiet, strange little mood today. She was rather somber at all suggestions for the day. I couldn't resist capturing it on camera. I often wonder what she's thinking when she is quiet....it doesn't happen often!

She went with me to the doctor yesterday and loved taking care of her baby doll while we waited. She told the doctor her baby brother is tired of growing big and strong in mommy's belly. She is so anxious for his arrival.

Happy Birthday Erin and Greg!

How on earth is my baby 14? Time has flown. Greg and I were looking at some photos of the girls taken as we were moving here in the summer of 2006 and couldn't believe our eyes. They were so little! Each and every one of them has grown so much these last couple of years. It is just shocking to realize just how quickly they do grow up.

Erin didn't get as special a day as we would have liked because everyone is still recovering from the flu and strep but we did manage to get her O'Charley's potato soup which was her one request for the day. She received lots of birthday wishes from friends and family including some new shirts, shoes and money (her favorite thing). She has lots of shopping planned in the near future...hopefully later this week we'll all be up for it.

Greg will celebrate his 39th tomorrow. He is doing really well in his recovery. His ankle doesn't cause him much pain at all. His primary complaint is the pain in his back from the crutches and the angle in which he has to carry his leg with the added hardware. He has always handled surgery and this accident with an amazing amount of grace. I am so proud of him.....Happy Birthday to two wonderful people.

Kate's ready for her baby brother to arrive

I woke up to Kate snuggling next to me in the bed this morning. She said, "Mommy, I love our baby brother". Within a few seconds she added, "I think he's tired of hiding in your belly". She says it is taking too long for him to grow big and strong enough to come out.

This afternoon I took a nap (Still recovering from the flu and strep throat) and as I was waking up, she crawled up onto the bed and asked if her baby brother was moving. He is typically active when I am resting. I said no and added that I think he just enjoyed a nap with me because I didn't feel any movement. She gently poked me in the belly and said, "wake up baby brother". Within seconds, he was stretching and moving....I am in big trouble if he is taking orders from her already!

Perfectly Pregnant!

Best friends do EVERYTHING together? Apparently! Whereas we were more than surprised by the news of our pregnancy, Kristin has been looking forward to this day for quite awhile. I am 22 weeks and she is 28. We are both having little boys this summer.

I got to have lunch with Kristin and Cherie (Happy Birthday Cherie!) in Dayton while Greg saw his surgeon today. It was a great way to pass some time! I am thrilled they were able to meet me! Greg's appointment went well. He had his stitches removed and some adjustments made on the pins. He will be doing daily adjustments on the struts at home in between appointments. Dr. Binski is okay with Greg working in the office at UPS. Nothing like asking forgiveness rather than permission....he went back on Monday! His back is causing him the most pain right now and we assume it is a result of the crutches. All in all, it was a long but good day. Who can complain in weather like this? All of the girls are sick....high fevers and sore throats. The good times never end!

Greg's back to work

Greg decided it was time to return to work tonight. His boss is allowing him to go in shorts and without a shoe on his right foot. He will be working in the office for the next four months. He will miss the operation portion of his job but thrilled to be back in a work setting. He was so stir crazy sitting at home. I am concerned for him because I think he is over doing it rather early but he insists this is best for him....four months earlier than the surgeon anticipated but we'll see what he has to say about it at Greg's first follow up appointment on Wednesday. The next time Greg mentions our kids being stubborn....this will be brought up! I, on the other hand, won't mind getting my family back into our routine and accomplishing some tasks in preparation for the baby this summer. Our first order of business is getting a room ready for Lauren and Makenna to share. They've chosen a deep egg plant color for the walls with chocolate and white accents. We ordered bunk beds this weekend and they will be here next week. After that, we can start working on the nursery. I am excited about our Tonka truck theme. I hope it is as cute as I envision it being. We've only been able to prepare one other nursery because we were in an apartment with Erin and Lauren. Makenna had a sweet room with a large tree growing above her bed with "Greg and Sherri" carved into a heart on the trunk. We had bugs and flowers growing around a painted picket fence. It was so much fun. When Kate arrived, she shared with older sisters so she didn't get a room. The baby boy's space will be unique for our family. We chose Tonka trucks because they were Greg's favorite childhood toy. We have two of his original metal trucks that a friend has agreed to help us restore for the room. I love that we are handing down something special from his dad and that it won't be out grown too quickly. Now, if we could just decide on his name.....

Happy Birthday Mason!

Mason turned 2 on the 13th and we drove to London, KY to celebrate him on Saturday. We all had a great time and brought home lots of little baby boy things to start preparing our nursery. Brennen is 4 and loves play station race car and monster truck games....doesn't he look cool? Mason has an expression a minute...I love these two! Nephews are so much fun!

Greg on Drugs....

Greg is doing much better as the week progresses. He describes his pain as constant but not throbbing like it was last week and through the weekend at times. His fever returns occasionally but doesn't last long. The surgeon's office says this is a normal reaction to surgery. He has been feeling stir crazy with few visitors (unlike home in Ohio where we were bombarded by multiple visitors daily). We had extremely warm temperatures yesterday so I took him out to run some errands. He was just a passenger primarily but did venture into Blockbuster to find a few movies. We don't watch movies so anything that has come out since he recovered in 2000 is a new release for us! Anyway, he had taken his pain meds before the drive to make him as comfortable as possible and boy was that entertaining! He was yelling at construction workers who were not tied off that "gravity always wins". He was singing to the girl's music (they were hiding under their seats). He added a few dance moves at times to make them wish they'd stayed home! The entire drive was full of his antics. At home, he is full of himself too....I am praying his boss will let him return to work soon. He will have additional injuries if they don't get him out of here soon. He shakes his water glass yelling "waitress" at me when it is empty, he points out things that could be done as soon as I sit down or appear too busy to deal with one more thing....yep, he needs to go back to work!

Saturday

Greg is running a fever tonight of 100.8. He is tired and in some pain but had a good day overall. It was beautiful and warm outside today so we spent some time sitting on the swing taking in more fresh air while we can...March can be so fickle. We had our first run at "pin care" today and neither of us faired very well. I didn't have to take care of his pins this fresh after surgery the last time and now know what I was missing....I was feeling quite squeamish by the time we had the old gauze off the pin sites. A warm shower after the old stuff was off cleaned up the leg quite a bit and the new, clean gauze looks much better. We are awaiting a delivery next week of the sterile q-tips and saline solution to do all the pin care but this was a good start. Greg is looking forward to visitors from work tomorrow. He is feeling stir crazy in the house. The distraction of company will do him some good.

There's no place like home

This was taken just before Greg was discharged yesterday. We drove home today with the help of our neighbors from Ohio, Pam and Ken. They were awesome about spending the day with me in surgical waiting all day Monday and then driving Greg home today so he could keep his leg elevated in the back seat of their car. They stayed with us long enough to allow me to get the dog and grocery shop. Thanks so much guys...you rock! Someone from our church loaned us a shower chair...thanks again.

Thursday

Greg and I arrived at my parent's house from the hospital just before 7 last evening. He was running a fever, had elevated blood pressure and was in intense pain. Getting his pain meds was a journey in and of itself. He ended up being 4 hours late on a dose because of paperwork/computer/authorization issues. This is the same government so many people want to take over our health care system! They need to live a nightmare or two like we have to see the "benefit" in it's true light...another soap box for another day.

As the night progressed, his temperature returned to normal and he finally slept better. Greg rates his pain at 6 rather than the 10-12 he had been ranking it. Praise God for that blessing. I hope it continues. He wants to try and go home today. There really is no place like home for quality rest, a good shower and real food with actual texture and flavor! Those are the things everyone wants while in the hospital. We are so grateful for the support and prayers offered us while he recovers. Once we are home, I will post some photos of his ankle. My nephews would love to play with the hardware....it looks like a really cool erector set of toys!

Surgery Update

Greg had surgery today. It took 4 1/2 hours and he will be recovering for 2-3 days in the hospital. Getting him home may be more challenging than we originally thought. He is in a lot of pain and the halos encircle his entire foot making propping it up for the three hour drive difficult. Please keep him in your prayers as he recuperates.

The girls are sufficiently full of sugar and good times with Grandma and Grandpa. They've been shopping, out to eat and to Build A Bear...this surgery thing is not a bad deal for them!

Surgery Plans

Greg will be having surgery on Monday, March 2. He has to arrive at Miami Valley Hospital at 9:30 for surgery at 12:30. Dr. Binski is famous for running hours late so I will be surprised if he is back into the OR prior to 4! They anticipate the surgery taking four hours so in the end, it will be a very long day. I am grateful our good friends from our prior neighborhood are willing to hang out with me all day in the waiting room. While we are at the hospital, the girls will be spending the day with Grandma Pattie at the Green....they are really excited about a day of shopping. Dad called today on his way to the grocery store planning on all the junk he is going to feed my poor, deprived children. They have requested Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, cookies and Pepsi.....GROSS! Their sugar buzz should last into 2010! Please keep the procedure and traveling in your prayers as we start the next leg of this journey.

It's A Boy!!!

Baby Baughman #5 is a boy....we can't believe it. Way to score your own room little man! I hope our photos won't be considered graphic...these just are not the parts we are used to seeing in ultra sound photos!

Sleepover casualties

This is what happens when the girls have sleepovers. We have seven girls between 8 and 13 here tonight. I am beginning to think we should have another girl to play along with the current situation....a brother would be tortured! Kate loves it....her hair is in rollers, her toes are painted Princess Pink and her finger nails have stickers on them! The rest of the girls are still pampering....it's been about four hours! You should see the mess in the bathroom they call the "spa"!

Daddy's Little Carnivore

Kate loves steak! She always requests steak for dinner and when we have it, she asks to have the bone! She is Daddy's girl!

What a Lucky Guy!

These two beautiful young ladies were escorted by Greg to the Purity Ball this evening. Seeing them all dressed up is a strong reminder of how tough being their dad is going to be in the near future! This is Lauren's first year attending the ball and Erin's third.

Kate's Big Girl Haircut

Updates

Greg had a phone conference with our BWC attorney in Ohio this afternoon. They are resubmitting the paperwork for authorization of surgery because the original set of documentation had an error....left foot rather than right...minor details! Anyway, the attorney anticipates it also being denied but it doesn't hurt to hope for an approval! If denied, the appeal process will proceed. So this can be a good thing or a way to drag out an already long process. Time will tell.

I had an appointment today and heard the baby's heart beat. It ranged from 140-147 beats per minute. I have an ultra sound and another appointment on March 2 to (hopefully) find out if this is a boy or a girl. Everyone here wants to "think boy".

On a fun side note, all the girls and even the dog ended up on our bed the other morning for tickle and play time with Daddy. After a few chaotic minutes, Kate said very dramatically, "I love you guys but you are driving me crazy"! I know the feeling!

She also spoke to my belly last week and I told her that the baby can hear her now. She responded by growling really loudly into my belly. Great! This kid is never going to want to come out of there!