Last Day

Tomorrow I get to go pick up these guys:

And I am SO excited! Jason won't be home for a few more days, so I'm about to go from quiet and peaceful to total craziness - and I can't wait!!!!

I have LOVED it being just Josiah and I...with multiple kids, it becomes harder to bond with the littlest because they just kind of get thrown into the mix, but this week has been a treasure with Josiah. And to top it off, he SMILED at me for the first time this morning!!!!

Another treasure this week has been spending a lot of time with my 10th grade cell group girls. It has been so much fun. I told them last night I feel like we are at camp and I'm their counselor this week because I have gotten to hang out with them almost everyday. It's helped the time pass in a perfect way - they are so much fun!

I talked about this some in my last post, but here are some observations from only having a newborn in the house:

1. I never knew it until this week, but all of my kid dishes DO NOT FIT IN MY CABINETS! Half of them are always being used so I never knew this nor had this problem until this week! I had to rearrange!
2. I  have folded clothes ONCE.
3. I have run the dishwasher ONCE.
4. I haven't had to pick up a single toy...ALL WEEK.
5. I don't have to be home from the hours of 1-4 for naps.
6. I can go to the gym whenever I want...not at 10:30 when kid's class starts.
7. Josiah and I get up between 10-11 - seriously?!
8. Their bathroom hasn't needed disinfecting every 2 hours.

But I just got back from a 2 hour grocery store trip to re-stock the house for kids and husband coming. And I'm ready for them and all the messes and noise they bring. Can't wait for the sword fights, the wrestling, the boxing matches (yes Jason teaches them how to box all the time), tutu's and princess dresses, pool time, playing with the neighbors in the front, and making PB&J sandwiches again.

6 Weeks

Yesterday marked 6 weeks since Josiah Abram was born.
And it feels like he has been part of our family for lot longer than that! The little guy just fits right in (not that he really had a choice though).

6 wks.

His eyes are BLUE (for now), he spits up a lot (but not as much as Lincoln), if he's not sleeping in the car, he is crying - uncontrollably, he eats every 3 hours (4oz) and takes a nap in between each bottle still, he falls into a deep sleep between 10-11/wakes up around 3-3:30, then at 6:00, then at 8:30ish (which is when i get up)...I am in the process of working to eliminate one of those, he looks like a McMahan, is soooo close to smiling, loves sitting outside, and that pretty much covers a 6 week old's life. :)

As far as my transitioning:

- The hardest transition for me was going from zero to one kid (Lincoln); The 2nd hardest transition was going from 2 to 3 kids; this one hasn't been that bad for me. I think recovery has a lot to do with it. Noah and Josiah have been the easiest recoveries but Josiah actually wins out in this category (which I think is weird??). I had some major pains with Adelynn in the coming month, but Josiah has been a breeze. I started working out 2 weeks post-partum (walking and such), and running 3 weeks post-partum - and I am feeling great! I think that's one reason it's seems crazy to me he is only 6 weeks old. It's been a blessing though!
4 kids under the age of 5 definitely is insane at times. It's forced me to slow down a little because just shuffling them around to do errands gets exhausting.
I now go to wal-mart at night, for instance. Josiah does great at our pool just hanging in his seat, and Adelynn is pretty independent in the water (praise the Lord!) so we have done the pool a lot...and I can just sit there, get a tan, and enjoy watching the 3 kids swim. I like those days. I will get in eventually but our pool is way too cold right now and I am not a fan of bathing suits yet. :)

Jason's currently in Africa and the older kids are at their grandparent's house, so Josiah and I have had lots of sweet bonding time! Gran Gran sent me some pics of the kids at her house...they LOVE spending time with all 4 of their grands - thankful for that!

Positives of kids being gone for a week:
1. My house is clean when I wake up, and it's still clean when I go to bed
2. No sudden shrills jostle Josiah from his sleep...lots of quiet
3. I don't have to plan my days around naps
4. No cooking
5. The laundry was done 3 days ago...and it's still done

Negatives to kids being gone for a week:
1. There are no Elsa dolls or swords lying around reminding me how fun and adventurous my kids are
2. It's too quiet
3. It's too clean
4. The dogs are starving because they don't get all the table scraps they are use to
5. I miss my naps with Lincoln

The dichotomy. It's nice to rejuvenate but I miss my kids and husband! Can't wait to see them soon!

Africa

On Saturday my husband and all 3 of his assistant coaches leave for Mali, Africa to run a basketball skills/evaluation camp for the top 50-60 players in the country. This is an incredibly unique opportunity they have been presented with and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds! There is supposedly great natural talent and athleticism throughout this country, but a desperate need of qualified coaches willing to come and invest in skill development to help these players achieve potential professional goals. We've been told there is great excitement for this next week and that it is a national event that will be kicked off with a televised press conference - which I'm so hoping will be somewhere I can watch online! Under Armor is sponsoring the camp and funding for the elite athletes to attend. The athletes have been scouted by some American NBA agencies over the years and have been marked as potential talent.
This is an extremely poor country that is in the middle of terrorists conflicts, so what a great opportunity to bring some fun and joy to a nation that is in the middle of experiencing some difficulties. But also a great opportunity for y'all to pray for our husband's safety - and energy (their schedule is relentless!!).

As for the rest of my family, Jason's parents are taking all 3 older kids while they are gone! So a little vacation for Josiah and I...we should head to the beach. Ha.

Can't wait to hear all the stories of the precious people in this country and their experience! My small experiences in Africa have been nothing short of incredible and I know theirs will be the same. There's lots more details with all of this and I'd love to share more if any of you have interest...just email me! :)

Lincoln's Moving to Kindergarten

Lincoln had a graduation ceremony at his preschool this morning. I have been super excited for it, to watch their little performance they've been working on for the past month now, but it never even crossed my mind it would be emotional.

Y'all - it hit me like wrecking ball (yes, I just said that).

The minute we sat down they started a slideshow of pictures throughout the whole year, set to super sad music and it all just went "downhill" from there (in the bittersweet way!). The program was just awesome. It was such a treat for us parents, but oh my - the TEARS. :( I don't know what I was thinking, but I was just not expecting to get so emotional. It was all just so overwhelming how fast these little guys grow up and I realized sitting there that my first child is now phasing out of the house as he transitions to public school - 5 days a week.
And I'm tearing up again.

So Lincoln, these past 5 years of having you at home have been an absolute TREASURE. I never thought I would enjoy being a stay-at-home mom until I had you...then having a job just sounded ridiculous in comparison to spending my days with you. You unlocked a world of adventures in my life I never knew existed and I wouldn't trade forgoing my career for ANYTHING. A huge part of me wants to keep you with me and home-school you, but God designed your little personality to be around people - it would crush you to be home-schooled! Ha. We've always prayed prayers of leadership and strong-will over you, so I guess it's only natural how much you love being around large groups of friends and social events. Though it has definitely been challenging at times to parent your strong-will, I know the Lord will continue to develop your character after His heart. I can't wait to see you flourish in the social/school setting! You're my first-born, my helper, my nap partner, my question-asker, my lively entertainer, my perceptive one, my fighter, my adventurer-seeker, my social one, my cuddler, and you have a brazen confidence about you that I pray becomes so tightly grounded in the Lord.
I love you to pieces and am thankful God chose me to be your mommy.

Miss Princess Turns TWO

I'm usually super excited for each new phase the kids go through and never really wish they could "stay" at any certain age...
Except for her.

Maybe it's because she's the only girl...maybe i identify with her on the that part...maybe the clothes are just so stinking cute...maybe it's because she prefers me and likes to snuggle with me...I have tried to pinpoint what makes her different and I'm not really sure, but if i could bottle her up at this age I most certainly would.

I find myself holding her just a tad bit longer, staring at her in awe for just a few more seconds, and literally having tears well in my eyes when I see newborn girl clothes at stores.

While she is a mix of both Jason and I, she definitely takes after my personality which makes her hilarious to me at times; all the stories I've heard from my parents about me when I was a child are unfolding in real time right before my eyes, and I can't help but just sit back and giggle at this little mini-me.

Likes:
the color pink, princesses, Frozen, to sing, going to church and workout class, making friends, asking any and everyone what their name is, to color (oh my she colors for hours every day!), the trampoline, to swing on her belly (no baby swing for her anymore), playing with her brothers, dirt, wiping herself (seriously), putting her shoes on by herself, "stealing" Jason's ipad and secretly playing on it, dressing herself, baths and showers.

Dislikes:
Holding our hand to go places, chicken, waking up in the morning, getting dressed in things without a "princess" association...to name some.

Accomplishments:
Knows most of her colors, talks mostly in short sentances, draws complete circles, can "sing" a few songs (which she does on repeat), can put her own shoes on, started semi-riding her tricycle, knows most people's names - is very intrigued with everyone's name, can get on/off trampoline by herself (which is awesome), knows how to navigate my phone and ipad better than she should!

This little firecracker is strong-willed, verbal, vivacious, social, independent, opinionated, stubborn, sneaky, clever, loud, tough, sweet, smart, hilarious, and an absolute JOY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Princess!!!!!

Josiah Abram McMahan

I pretty much blog only 5 times a year now, so I figured one of those should be dedicated to little Josiah. The posts on pregnancies and my babies first years are basically the only ones i go back read...and i love to go back and read them!

Induction Day!
We went in way earlier than normal...5:00am. Why? Because my dad had to leave town that day at 1:30pm and since all of my kids have been born at the same time of day (because we go to the hospital at the same time with each birth) I figured i could "predict" it to be born around noon-ish if we went in at 5:00 and everything went like it had with my previous 3 experiences.

So we got there at 5:00am and I hadn't progressed any since my previous appointments. Awesome. Maybe this one was going to take longer.

Got the Epi first thing - which was by far the easiest one I've gotten - then started the pitocin and the waiting game. My dad kept asking the nurses if I was progressing and yall, for some reason it seemed much slower this time around!

It was noon and I had only gone from a "2" to a "4". My dad was disheartened because it sure felt like I wasn't going to make it in time before he had to leave. I was also a little bummed.

So that was at noon. Then TWENTY minutes later I started feeling crazy pressure and sure enough I had completely progressed in 20 minutes! and then 20 minutes later, Josiah entered the world! He has the cord wrapped a little but nothing too big of a deal. and he was perfect.

(my dad made it!)

My favorite part of having kids is watching Jason with them right when they are born. He cries every time, is completely speechless, and it is such a beautiful picture I have in my mind that will never be erased with all 4 kids.

Coming Home
The kids stayed at my parents house for a few days and so, of course, Jason and I went on a "date" to Olive Garden the night we came home from the hospital. It's a tradition. :)
I have felt surprisingly good! This recovery was actually easier than Adelynn which was encouraging.

I will say 4 kids under the age of 5 is a lot. Noah and Lincoln are completely independent in the car as far as buckling themselves and such - which helps - but getting places is challenging! I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. Josiah is fairly easy which is a blessing.

Josiah at Home
The little guy has done great at night! He is fussy in the day a lot, but sleeps all night with a feeding at 3:00-ish and another around 6:00. He goes right back to sleep and we generally get up between 8-8:30. Not bad. The other amazing thing is he already takes a long nap when all 3 other kids do! All 4 kids sleep from about 1-4. Josiah has joined this routine consistently for the past 4 days now.
He was already back to his birth weight in the first week (7.6) and his height is in the 50% at 21".
He nurses and I give him bottles when it's more convenient. He was struggling to nurse well but has gotten over that now. I probably won't nurse long. I actually say I'm stopping everyday and go back and forth. But I'm still going as of now.

Kids With Josiah
The boys have been great! And I thought we would have trouble with Adelynn but she has been great too! I think mainly in part because she plays with her brothers all day. Which is also reason #875 I don't want Lincoln to start Kindergarten next year.
It helps a lot that it's nice outside. All 3 kids just play out in the back during the day for hours while I nurse or attend to Josiah - or clean the house - or just get some alone time. I'm so thankful they are close in age and like playing together! But you should see the older 3 at the end of every day. They are total smelly dirtballs - Adelynn being the worst. It actually warms my heart. :)

Upcoming Challenges
Jason leaves for West Africa a month from today...then heads to Kansas team camp right after returning from Africa. June could be rough.
Jason's parents are taking all three big kids to their house for a week of all of that which will be AMAZING. I plan on sleep training Josiah during that time. Fun for all.

We Have a Name!

I had my 36 week appointment today and I am already progressed (2cm/50%) which is more than I've ever been at this stage with any of the other kids.
The way I've felt the past few weeks, I'm not surprised.

We set the induction date (those that know me know this is how we do) for Monday, April 28. So unless he decides to come before then, we're 27 days out!

Well, 27 days out and we have a name. This by far took us longer than our other 3 children - not even a close race - but praise the Lord we have a name we love that it is rich in meaning. And of course, it wasn't any of our originals we threw around most of pregnancy.
We have always chosen names based on meaning first, then if we actually like the way it sounds last. The meaning is critical to us. We have known most of pregnancy what the middle name would be and I truly felt it spoken to me as validation in my first class of Perspectives this year (yall I started tearing up and got all emotional - theme of my life in that class lately).
But here was our tentative "list" we had running for the past few months (except for the name that we chose that crept it's way on the list just a few weeks ago):

Silas
Jonah
William
Studd (as a middle, after C.T. Studd - look him up)
Lucas
Judah (I didn't like because it sounded too much like "Judas" to me)

And then this whole pregnancy Lincoln has been dead set on: Brayton (he said he made it up??)
Noah at one point told Jason's mom: "I don't know what we are naming it yet, but I think mom and dad might have decided on Jesus??"
Ha. That kid.

So the winner????
Josiah Abram McMahan

Josiah was the youngest King (became king at just 8 years old) and ended the era of evil kings by deciding to bring the kingdom of Judah back to God. He led his kingdom under major reforms that returned them to favor with the Lord after years and years and years of disobedience...and he accomplished all of this at a very young age. He also died young - at age 31, but served God faithfully all of his years. The Hebrew meaning of Josiah is "Jehovah has healed".

Then in Genesis 12:1-3, God reveals His purpose through His promise, where He chooses one nation to reach all nations through Israel - led by Abram. I have always known if we had another boy this name would be incorporated to some degree. Abram means "exalted father" and it is who God chose to start Hid mission of reaching the world.

Thus our prayer for Josiah Abram is that he can follow Jesus at an early age and be a leader among those around him. We pray the Lord will make him bold in his convictions and give him a heart to reach the nations for Christ and be a disciple-maker.

Can't wait to meet Josiah Abram!