Adam Paul Carpenter is Here!

Adam was born during the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, just a day after he was due. What a considerate boy! Here's the stats:

Weight: 8 lb 5.5 oz
Height: 21.5 inches

Here's a synopsis of his birth story:

I realized I was probably in labor around 2 or 2:15 am. Luckily my mom was already here with us, so we were able to just leave the kids with her and head to the hospital. We headed out the door around 3:20. We were pulled over on the way for speeding. We were going about 45 mph in a 25 or 30. The officer took his sweet time getting out of the car, and when Paul told him I was in labor, he replied with, "That's no reason to speed sir." Paul said, "Can I please go, sir?" He so kindly escorted us for 2 or 3 blocks. We arrived at the hospital around 3:40. Adam was born about 20 minutes later at 4:04 am. Yes, we were in shock - me more than Paul, I believe. The nurse who was attending me when I delivered made a nice little phone call to the police department to let them know that they nearly had to deliver a baby on the road that morning, and that a woman in labor is a good reason to speed :) Little did we know how good of a reason we had. And what a blessing it was that my mom was here, so we didn't have to wait for someone to come over to watch our children.

We are so grateful that everything turned out so well. The stay at the hospital was fantastic. The nurses were so great. It was the perfect hospital to have a natural labor and delivery - not that I actually labored very much there. Paul was the most fantastic labor coach. He was totally calm and collected and knew I would do fantastic, even when I was doubting myself.

The baby is doing great, and my recovery has been wonderful so far. Even though Adam came quick, I didn't tear, and that has made a huge difference in my recovery this time compared to the others. I am really feeling great. I feel so blessed. The Lord is really watching over us, and I can easily recognize His hand in my life.

The girls really love their little brother. Anna's having a little bit of a hard time because she's not allowed to touch the baby until she gets over her cold, which is why she's not in any of the pictures. That's pretty tough for a 2 year old, but overall, thing are going well. Adam is so sweet, and we are so blessed to have him in our home!

Halloween Costumes

My last post for today is a picture of the girls in their costumes. They were both fairies. Anna wore part of Samantha's fairy costume from last year. Samantha wanted to be a fairy again - like Anna, so I made her another fairy costume. They had a great time at the downtown trick-or-treating.

Funny Photos

Last Sunday Samantha made a pile of blankets and was jumping off the coffee table onto them. Here's a couple of photos Paul got from the event.

Trip to the Orchard

We went to a nearby orchard this last week with Samantha's preschool class and their moms. We're actually doing a home preschool where we trade off weeks teaching. Anyway, the day was beautiful, the apples were absolutely fantastic, and the girls had a wonderful time picking the apples, as well as looking at/feeding the animals. Here are some fun pictures from the day.

Notice the juice running down Samantha's chin. There really is nothing better than an apple fresh off the tree!

I think Samantha is going to end up like her mother - always on the back row for class pictures. She's the height of the average 5 1/2 year old at the age of 4.

This was so cute! All three pigs happened to be sleeping in the house of bricks. Smart pigs!

Camp Joseph

Our annual trip to Camp Joseph was a few weeks ago. We had a great (although cold) time. The trees were beautiful, and the girls enjoyed hiking, building fires, roasting marshmallows, and the like.

Paul's Birthday

It's late, but I just wanted to acknowledge Paul's birthday. He is a year older and the girls had a fantastic time planning for his birthday and making special things for him, including this yummy Skor bar cake. We love our handsome Daddy!