We are proud to announce...

...the birth of our son,

Rocco Quinn

May 29th, 2009

1:49 pm

8 lbs, 1 oz

21 inches

More details and MANY, MANY more pictures to come!

Catching Up!

Life has been busy, but in a good way. Our biggest news is that school is out....whoo-hoo! I'm so excited! The kids will continue some things through the summer. C4 will learn to type, Madison will begin her Spanish, Nathanael will keep up with reading and writing, but the structured days of school are behind us for this year. Perfect timing for the new baby! Again, God was faithful and saw us through, despite the days when I felt helpless. The kids celebrated with a dip in the pool. Apparently TJ thought it was the French Riviera.

We've been doing lots of yard work around the house! The house was empty last year and the landscaping had been neglected badly. When we first moved in, my Mom and 2 sisters came for a day and we attacked the worst of it, but this spring the to-do list seems endless. Good thing I enjoy it! I don't really know what I'm doing, but I got a couple books from the library to learn some more about the shrubs we have and correct timing and technique for pruning. This is how much of it looked when we bought it.
We also had a dead birch tree in front. I liked the look of it and was sad to see it go, but it was dead-dead. Shaun and Nathan came up and within 1/2 hour had it down. The kids enjoyed watching from a safe spot.

Colombo's big project this week was finishing the pool area. All of the beds had to be dug up to get rid of the weeds. Then we laid paper and new rocks, as well as added a few more flowering shrubs. He worked hard and it looks tremendous!One day last week I got to watch Mason who is the 7 month old son of good friends. I invited Gabby over for a little play time. Getting a good picture of them together proved impossible.

One evening while Jon and Andrea were over. Gabby jammed to Beyonce's "Halo" on her daddy's phone. It's the only song she'll dance to.

Memorial Day weekend was great!!! We spent Saturday with Colombo's family. Nick and his Katie are here visiting, and Jon and Annie and Gabby are here for the summer, so it's so fun to all be together. On Sunday we worked on the yard. On Monday we went to Harkness with about 10 other families from church...a Memorial Day / Labor Day tradition. The day was outstanding...high 70's sunny, right on the water. The kids rode bikes, played whiffle ball and volleyball, went in the water, and we all ate and ate and ate.

Then on Tuesday (my due date, which came and went) we went to Nathanael's t-ball game. Nick and Katie and Jon and Andrea and Gabby joined us. Afterward, we all went to Moe's, where kids eat free on Tuesdays. It's so fun having everyone together in the same state!


Well, that's enough for one post! Now I feel like this:

40 Weeks

Today was a great day to have a baby! My midwife was on call. My 'team' was all available. My childcare was lined up. So I woke up this morning and started the castor oil induction recipe that a good friend and my midwife were certain would get things going. I did a dose at 6 am, 7 and 8 and then I waited, and waited, and waited. And....nothing! I had fewer contractions today than the last four days.

Before I took the oil, I prayed, "God, you know the very moment this baby will be born. I don't want to force anything. I know that it will happen in your perfect timing." And then I proceeded to cry; overwhelmed by God's goodness in my life, thanking Him for the privelage of 5 healthy, easy pregnancies and thinking about the fact that this will probably be the last of the days that I will ever experience the kicks inside of me.

And so, I am perfectly fine that Baby D. did not come today. Although I am anxious just to meet this little person and hold and smell him or her, I'm not impatient about it. I've had some sleeping issues, but that is just my body preparing for some short nights of sleep. I'm not uncomfortable.

We have finalized our names. I LOVE the girl name. I LIKE the boy name, but at least it's off my list of things that consume my thoughts.

Now I'm consumed with fending off the MANY phone calls of "Anything happening?" NO, and believe me, you will know when it does.

A New Addition

Noooo, not the one you might think.

Colombo's brother Nicky has been smitten with a girl from Montana after they reconnected on Facebook. They attended the same high school for a couple of years, but never really knew each other. Anyway, thanks to the power of the internet, a passionate romance ensued, resulting in Nicky pretty much dropping off the face of the earth and spending lots of time in Montana over the last couple of months.

I've been pressing him to get her back here for a visit so that we could all meet this wonderful(um, I think his words were 'perfect') girl! So, FINALLY, we got the news that they were flying home Memorial Day weekend. I would have my chance to see the girl who has stolen his heart and to analyze her authenticity, commitment, attitude, background...you know, be a big sister and make sure she checked out for our little brother.

WELL, I did indeed get a chance to exchange a hug and meet her for the first time. About 5 minutes later, Nicky had his whole family gathered in a room at our house to make 'an announcement'. He explained to all of us that he and Katie were married on a mountain in Montana on May 1st!!!!!

We were all very surprised by the news, but excited that Nicky has finally taken the plunge! He loves people (all people) like he'll never get hurt and Katie is lucky to have him. Nicky whispered in my ear later, "Sorry you couldn't give her "your test", but trust me, she's perfect!" And I'm sure she is!

They seem very happy and I look forward to getting to know all about her. When you know, you know! We wish them nothing but the best and pray God's hand would be on them as they figure out the next few months of jobs, apartments, etc.

Congratulations and Best Wishes!!!!!!

Too-Cool Trevor

Trevor's vocabulary is beginning to sound very 'old'. I think a lot of it is because he strives so hard to keep up with his older siblings. But it's really cute to hear him use phrases like, "Ahh, man!!" or "That works." He also says, "Oh my goodness!" And most recently he's added, "Oh my gosh!" He knows when he's being cute or acting cool.

Not only is his repertoire growing, but everything is much clearer and it's not just his family who understands what he is trying to say. Now we need to work on the social skills. He interrupts when others are talking to me and will say something like, "Nano (Nathanael), IIIII'm talking to Mommy."

A New Nephew

Levi Allan Groves

My sister Bethany and her husband Chris began their adoption journey in January of this year (well, I should clarify...they started the official paperwork portion of their journey in January). Earlier this week, their profile was complete and placed on the agency's website for birth mothers to view. Bethany blogged that they were 'paper pregnant'. Just 2 days later, they received the call that they had been picked. I'm quite sure 2 days is the fastest 'pregnancy' I've ever heard of!!! Yesterday morning, they left for Pennsylvania to meet, hold, and bring home their precious new baby boy! He was born on May 14th at 5:58 am, weighing 6 lbs., 15 oz. and 19 inches. I can't wait to meet him, although, he already feels like part of the family!

38 Weeks

At 38 weeks, I still feel great, but I'm growing more and more anxious to meet this little person. I washed all the neutral newborn clothes, got the car seat ready to go, and started packing my bag for the hospital. It's all sooooo very exciting.

Physically, I'm good. The midwife doesn't think the baby is 'huge'. I've gained 26 pounds so far. I snooze with TJ about 3 or 4 times a week. We love to snuggle and it's a precious time that I'm thankful to have with him. I'm still getting to the gym, but starting to limit my weights and time I spend on the treadmill. I get lots of braxton hicks throughout the day and the baby has a very active time from 9 - 11 pm.

Emotionally, I've been very weepy...not sure why. I feel incompetent and struggle when I can't seem to pull it all together. This especially affects our school days as I'm trying to wrap up in the next 8 days! Colombo's been more than patient and seems to attribute it to my crazy hormone levels.

We've made the decision to include Madison in the delivery. She is beyond excited. I've rented several birth story-type documentaries to try to prepare her. And, of course, we have a contingency plan in case she needs to leave for any reason.

We're still working on boy names. The kids think I should name him Bugsy...not gonna happen! Although I know that this baby 'could' come any day now, I'm not getting my hopes up for an early arrival. Nathanael was on his due date, and the other 3 were 2-5 days late, so there is no reason for me to believe that I will go early. There's plenty of school and yard work to get done before the blessed day, so I just keep plugging away. I'm enjoying the pregnancy and Colombo's surprise Dairy Queen runs!!!

Mother's Day in Maine

Mother's Day .09 - traditional 'ugly couch' picture

For many years, we've gone up to Lisa and Shaun's cabin in Maine to help them open it up for the season. By help, I mean Colombo watches Shaun fix any broken pipes or electrical issues and Lisa and I do some cleaning inside, but then the rest of the weekend is relaxing- playing games, reading, etc.

This year we went up for Mother's Day weekend. The weather was great; not freezing cold like Maine can often be this early and even though we had some rain, no one minded the inactivity that if enforced.
Matching bellies in our Maine sweatshirts- This is our fabulous 'Maine' look for the weekend!
Lisa at 31 weeks, myself at 37.5

All the kids got along wonderfully and enjoyed their time together. We took them to the park for a couple hours on Friday afternoon when it was sunny.
On Mother's Day morning, the kids and Colombo gave me their cards and Colombo gave me my wedding band that he had repaired. I haven't worn anything for about a year now because my band was missing a diamond, so I requested that I have 'something' on my finger for when I have this baby.

We came back rested and refreshed. A few days with no tv, no cell phones, and no laptops in a cabin with only modest conveniences will do that to you!!

Another Day in Paradise

Opening Day

Nathanael is on his knees, far left

Opening day is an exciting kick-off to the baseball season. Team pictures are taken, players are introduced, the first pitch is thrown, the national anthem sang...good ole American time, right?

Well, honestly, there are drawbacks. #1, we had to be at the field at 7:50 am. #2, Nathanael took the worst pictures. I have no idea what he was doing, but the photographer gave up after about 5 tries. #3, his coach butchered his name when announcing him, Nathan Desalvo. #4, I got irritated at the dozen or so people around me who did not stand for the National Anthem.

BUT, the good news is, Nathanael loved his special day. He had a great first game after the festivities and the best part....
free donuts for all the players!

Thanks to Jon and Annie and Bob and Jules for coming to support him.

Spring Wedding

My brother-in-law's brother (figure that one out!) got married! They totally lucked out with the weather for an April 30th outdoor wedding. The ceremony was at the bride's parents' house and it was very lovely.

Has there ever been a cuter flower girl?

Then the reception was in an old mansion, now used for special banquets, down on the water. It was just beautiful!!

Bethany and Chris