And then there were 5!

Ramsey Curtis Hofmann

Born on August 13th at 5PM

7 pounds 2 ounces and 19 3/4 in

The past 4 days have been AH-mazing! Can't believe this boy makes us a family of 5 now! I'm going to brag a bit now, continue reading if you can take it...

I was praying hard for an early arrival of this boy. I didn't think I'd be lucky enough for him to come early, considering Hudson was 8 days late and Nova was evicted 2 days before 40 weeks. My friends were having their babies left and right and it was killing me! I was just way too excited to have to wait 40 weeks or more! I didn't want to be induced but I was really considering it if I did make it to 40 weeks. We were SO ready to meet Ramsey!

I had a doctors appointment Thursday morning (the 13th). I was 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  My doctor said I was 3-4 cm dilated and 60% effaced. I asked her if she would strip my membranes and she did but had said they were pretty much seprated already naturally. She was confident I wouldn't make it to my Tuesday appointment. But I couldn't believe her! I was dilated to a 3 for 1-2 weeks with both Hudson and Nova, AND stripping my membranes with them never worked. I had little hope!

Went home and went about my afternoon with the kids. I laid Nova down for a nap at 1:30 and me and Hudson sat on the couch watching our shows. And then soon after started the back pain and cramping. I figured it was just from my doctor stripping my membranes but it quickly turned into contractions and 5 minutes apart! Curtis texted me at 2 and said work asked him to stay for overtime but I told I thought I was having real contractions and if they weren't gone in an hour then he'd better come home. I texted him back 30 minutes later and told him he had to leave now! The contractions were already having me crouch over in so much pain! Oh back labor is the devil!! I was kinda sorta planning on going all natural this time cause I felt I handled labor with Nova so well but the back labor quickly changed my mind and I knew I would be getting an epidulal ASAP! I told Curtis he'd better hurry! He works an hour away and I was a bit nervous with how things were progressing! I had text my mom too and asked her to come watch the kids! She was 40 minutes away though! I finished packing my bag and threw stuff into the car. I figured I'd be able to wait for one of them to get here but oh no! I texted my friend Reyna who lives a street over to see if she could take my kids while I drove myself to the hospital! Thankfully she replied right away! I got the kids ready, droped them off real fast and headed to the hospital which, thankfully, was only 5 minutes away this time! I think it was no coincidence that I switched doctors so I could deliver at that hospital! Or else Ramsey would have been born in the car on my way to Banner Desert! Curtis called me while I was on my way to the hopsital and I told him to meet me there! We both got there at about 3:45. It was happening so fast I didn't even have time to process the fact that we were about to have a baby! Just had my eye on that epidural!

Of course we had to sign papers first. My contractions were like 3-5 minutes apart now. Once in triage, which I didn't know was triage I though it was going to be the delivery room cause it had everything but nope! I paniced! I knew they still had to check me and monitor me and ask me questions.  And I was afraid there would be no time for an epidural. I told the nurses that I have fast babies so they rushed! They knew I wanted an epidural ASAP! I was already 6cm dilated when I got checked at about 4 o'clock. Then they moved us to our delivery room before they even finished with triage. The contractions were so painful!!  I'm so happy the nurses were so quick with everything! They kept asking if I was feeling any pressure to push during my contractions, I think they were worried my doctor wouldn't make it! They got me all hooked up to the IV and soon after the anesthesiologist came in. Hallelujah!  OH how I love epidurals! 

After the anesthesiologist left my nurse checked me and I was 8cm 

and it was 4:30 now. The pain slowly faded and I had about 15 minutes to relax and then my doctor showed up. She was going to check me and break my water. She said I was 9cm and told the nurses to get everything ready now! I pushed for maybe 5 minutes and a squishy, warm, dark haired, little boy was placed on my chest. Oh those moments are my favorite! I cry every time! So special and so heavenly! He hardly cried at all and was just so content to be on me. And holy crap I just had a baby in three hours! Again!! I never thought that would happen twice!

I loved this hospital! They made me do skin to skin with him for an hour which we didn't know was a rule cause after 30 minutes Curtis said OK my turn! And the nurse was like no, he's with mama for an hour! Haha. So he was able to nurse right away. Once I got him latched he stayed on for about a half hour! This was a much better start to nursing than my experience with Nova. 

So after an hour and half on me they finally took him and weighed and measured him. Then they made Curtis do skin to skin too! Haha. But I know he secretly liked it. ;)

After we got into the recovery room my mom brought Hudson and Nova. They were so cute with him! Didn't want to hold him though. Just liked looking at all his little features. And Hudson thought it was cool that he would grab his finger. I loved watching them finally get to meet baby Ramsey! Now at home they don't mind him much. Just go about their playing. Although Hudson told me today "I like baby Ramsey. " So sweet! Nova did hold him the night we brought him home. That was cute!

I've been feeling great! A much better recovery from the last two! Thank goodness too since I have two other kids to keep up with still! Breast feeding has been a world of a difference compared to Nova! Ramsey is an awesome nurser! It's still been real painful for me though! I have not had to use any formula and don't plan on it! I've been trying to get him to take a paci cause I need a break sometimes but he definitely prefers to nurse! Thankfully he took his first bottle today! That helped! The kid loves food! Maybe I'll actually have a chunker!? This may be cheesy but I had him on the day I quit nursing Nova a year ago! I thought that was special. :) He's been sleeping really great at night too! 5-6 hours! It would be longer but I wake him after 6. Don't know how I got so lucky! He is just the most patient little guy too. And loves to held of course.  He's so perfect!

He's quite literally the boy of my dreams! If you read my last post about him then you'll know I had a dream of a dark haired little boy we named Ramsey before I was even pregnant with him. Kinda special! And here he is! I really didn't know how I could love another baby boy, since my baby boy was Hudson! But that hasn't been a problem at all! So much love! I'm so thankful for my happy, healthy family of FIVE!

Number 3

Blogging used to be so easy to me. The words would just flow from my mind to my fingers. Now I sit down to type and my mind is blank. I post so much to Instagram and Facebook that I feel like blogging would just be a copycat of what I already posted. So I haven't blogged in year now! It was easy to blog when I had Hudson, for one, I just had one kid, and two, he was pretty interesting with his cleft business so it wasn't just a boring day in the life of a four month old. And then Nova came along and things got busier and blogging got harder. 

I post when big things happen now because there is usually more details and emotion that need to be said that won't fit in a little paragraph on Instagram. So here I am! Although you all know our big news now! I'm pregnant with our third baby! Woohoo! I had to write down how this little being came to be mostly for my own memory but it has also been a very spiritual experience for me so I wanted to share. 

We all know my little crazy Nova has not being an easy child. She is full of life! She is stubborn, demanding, and high maintenance. Although she is the best cuddle bug out there she has been testing my patience for a long time now! I was fully prepared to wait until she was two before I considered having a third baby. I had no desires to be pregnant again for a long time! In July 2014 I decided I needed more happiness in my life. I was struggling with life and raising two little kids. I wasn't happy. So I made a goal with Curtis to attend the temple every other Tuesday. It was one of the few nights Curtis had off work because I had my church calling as an Activity Day Leader. Which was only two times a month but Curtis got every Tuesday off. So Tuesday became Temple Tuesday! And guess what?! We rocked Temple Tuesday! I think we only missed two Tuesday's in about 4 months. 

One night we were short on time so we decided to do Initatories. It was actually the first time I had done them besides my own. During a specific part of the ordinance I had a very strong desire to be pregnant. I longed for it and was excited for it in that moment. My excitement didn't stop after I was done with Initatories and I was excited to tell Curtis my experience! On our way home I told him the impression I got while there. I knew he wouldn't just drop everything and be on board with me for a third baby so I told him to pray about it and that I'd wait. Impatiently though... 

It was like night and day. One minute I had absolutely no desire for a third baby and after the temple I couldn't contain this strong desire to be pregnant right then and there. After a couple weeks of nagging Curtis for a third baby I decided to stop and put my focus elsewhere so I signed up for 2 10K races in November! I had not run consistently since Hudson was two months old and I had 8 weeks to train for six miles! It ment I had to wait until after my races to get pregnant and Curtis was OK with that! He wanted to wait until the beginning of the year to start trying for baby number 3. It felt like decades away though!

There was one night, in the midst of waiting and training, I had a very clear and real dream about Curtis handing me a baby boy with lots of dark hair wrapped in a hospital blanket. We were in a hospital room and we named him Ramsey. I always liked the name Ramsey but never really decided on it for a baby or even really told Curtis about it. So when I told Curtis my dream he agreed to start trying for a baby as soon as my races were over. He also agreed to name our boy Ramsey if it were a boy! I couldn't stop thinking about the dream and how our third baby just might be a boy!

Well low and behold things were aligned perfectly and it was literally days after my last race that I could get pregnant. And two weeks later I got a positive pregnancy test! Although getting pregnant for us has always been easy I still felt like this baby was meant to be here right at this time. I was so excited to be pregnant again! I told Curtis the news by writing "I'm pregnant" at the bottom of a hot chocolate filled mug. And we announced to the world that I was pregnant on Christmas Day! 

I had another dream of me giving birth to a dark haired baby boy and we again named him Ramsey. This was just days before my ultrasound in which we found out we were indeed having a BOY! So Ramsey it is! Coincidence? I think not!

For some reason only Heavenly Father knows, this boy is meant to be in our lives right now! It's times in my life when I, or we, have been struggling that we turn to Lord and get back on track to the things He wants us to do that we are most influenced by the spirit. He just wants to see us try, no matter how little and He'll give us a nudge in the right direction. Where we can find happiness once again. It's in these moments that I realize we are inline with His will. And it's because we are putting forth effort to be! Now if I could always remember that life might be a bit easier, but I am only human. 

Experiences like these testify to me that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. Although I feel totally incompetent for three children I find strength in the fact that this is what Heavenly Father wants for us. He trust us with another one of precious spirits. I know He knows we can do it. And I know he watches me struggle with Hudson and Nova and just waits (sometimes too long) for me to call on him for help. I'm so grateful for my testimony of a Father in Heaven who loves us. And a testimony of a gospel that helps me raise a family. I don't have to be alone in this calling. 

I'm so happy to be pregnant with our third baby! Also scared for three children but more excited! Can't believe we are actually on our third baby! I feel like I JUST had Hudson... This pregnancy has been so different from the last two! My morning sickness lasted only until 12 weeks and wasn't even that bad compared to the last two. I also really haven't been that tired. But oh the aches and pains started weeks ago! I'll be 18 weeks on Friday so that makes him Due August 21st! SO excited! Despite being pregnant ALL summer I am actually really excited for summer! Yes, you heard right! I just bought a maternity swim suit and I plan on spending a lot of our time by the pool... Or splash pad. I have always wanted to go swimming while pregnant. It sounds amazing! The kids start swim lessons on the 31st that I am excited about too! And we have a Mexico trip in June! It's gonna be a fun summer... I ain't gonna let a big oil' belly get in my way and the kids way of a fun summer, that's the plan at least...