And now our family is complete...

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted 3 children. So when I finally convinced my husband to have baby #3, I was elated. And it didn't matter to me what I "got"...I always pictured 3 children in our family photo. It wasn't going to be right until he or she got here.

Again, I suffered from preterm contractions but this time, I didn't dilate early. I tried to take it easy as much as I could but with a 5 year old and 3 year old, who can take it easy? I'd contract, complain, drink some water and keep going. If I did start to dilate, I would have happily done whatever the doctor ordered. Thankfully, it never got to that point.

Since baby #2, otherwise known as "Moe", was a shoulder dystocia delivery, the doctor watched the size of baby #3 very carefully. I had 7 sonograms with the last pregnancy...and each time, someone thought it would be funny to not be able to tell exactly if it was a boy or a girl. At the first sonogram, the technician said, "Oh, I'm sorry, it's another boy." I thought something was wrong...little did she know that there is nothing to be sorry about in having 3 boys! But then every other sonogram, they changed their mind. "Oh, I think it's a girl", "no, it's definitely a boy." Even the sonogram I had the day before his birth, I was told not to be surprised if they said it was a girl.

Since "Moe" was so large and this baby was measuring larger than expected, I was offered a trial of labor or I could opt for a scheduled C/Section. I could feel that the baby was huge..I just wanted him (or her....could they ever tell???) out safely. I took the scheduled C/S. Two weeks before his due date (he was due on July 4!), I was wheeled into the OR and delivered a healthy 10 pound baby boy. The doctor kept saying, "this is a big one", as he was pulling him out. Duh..I could have told him that.

When I knew he was born, I asked if they could finally tell what "it" was. They said, "It's a Boy!" I couldn't have been happier. Of course, I had let me imagination run away with me when they couldn't tell what "it" was and assumed that the baby must have had ambiguous genitalia. When Tyler was born, it was obvious that he was a boy. Let the party begin!

Now, I wish I could say I remember everything about my last baby boy but to be honest, I was a little swamped caring for 3 sons under the age of 5! You know what it was like? Did you ever see the Cliffhangers game on The Price is Right? The little yodeling guy marches up the mountain for every dollar the person misses the price of the toaster or the CD player or the whatever. Then, if they miss all 3 within a grand total of $25, they win the grand prize? Well, I was the yodeler whose person missed the prices way over $25!! Over the cliff I went...

How can just one more person create so much more work? The laundry...it seemed to reproduce on its own in the basement. The toys....easily overtook the living room like an invasion from an enemy army.

Baby boy #3 was a piece of cake, really. He went along to kindergarten and preschool when it was time to drop the "brubbers" off. He held off eating breakfast or getting dressed for that matter until the other boys were off to school. One time while we were playing (I probably was cleaning and pretending it was playing...), he asked what the phone number was to 2nd grade because he wanted to talk to his older "brubber". To this day, he's a pretty laid back kind of kid.

Another handsome boy, he has dark hair and stunning blue eyes. He also got the athletic gene (I wonder where they got it from....I of course assume all the good stuff came from me!). He plays basketball and has tried his hand at volleyball, tennis and bowling. This fall, he's giving football a whirl. And he's smart. But his problem is his lack of organization. He's like his oldest brother only worse. That mind of his works in a different way and that way doesn't exactly make the middle school teachers happy.

If there's one thing about baby #3, it's that he would fish all day, every day if you'd let him. It's remarkable, really. My husband, son #1 and the little guy (ok, he's only just turned 13 and he's 5'9" already....) can fish all day. "Moe", well he just wants to know when it's time to go home (my husband said when they were little and they all went fishing because I worked the night shift, all Moe wanted was to know when it was time to go to McDonald's!). But my Tyler...he's an outdoorsman for sure.

So that rounds out the 3 boys...the joy of my life and the reason I do all the crazy things I do. One thing is for sure...boys will make you laugh until your side hurts. They'll eat every morsel of food and still complain they're hungry. They'll leave their clothes all over the place and ask where, oh where, is their jock strap (interestingly, I don't know....hmmmmmm....) Above all, they'll make you see the pure joy in being a mother. While I'm sure being a mom to all girls has its rewards, I argue that there's absolutely nothing like being the mother of 3 boys! Now, onto th stories.