We have had a very busy couple of weeks with MJ, Ty
and Catelin’s end of the school year activities! I am going to break it down by
child…
Catelin:
At the preschool, they celebrate all of the summer
birthdays during the last two weeks of school. Jake (who was 13 days old at the
time) and I surprised Catelin with princess decorations and special treats for
all of her friends. She was over the moon- just look at that smile! (She turns
THREE June 3rd).
We also had her end of the school year picnic on
the playground a few days later. She had such an incredible year- she has
matured so much and her teachers have been amazing. I am so proud of her. Here
she is with her two favorite teachers- Nalley and Kathleen!
Ty:
Ty had his end of the school year picnic the same
day as Catelin but at a slightly later time. Thankfully the two times
overlapped by 30 minutes so Jake and I didn’t have to go back and forth from the
house to the school. Ty also had a wonderful year. He is very smart and really
loves all of his classmates. He will be leaving the preschool and joining MJ
across the parking lot at the “big school” next year for Pre-K!
They also had a “moving on” ceremony the following
day for the students who are moving up to kindergarten or going to the pre-k at
the big school next year. It was a sweet little ceremony followed by another
picnic on the playground. And
Jake was chillin’ again in his stroller- thank goodness for car seat canopies!
I keep him covered up so no one will touch him or get too close (but I do open
up the cover for pictures of course!).
One of our favorite preschool teachers, Ms. Ann, is
retiring this year- we will miss her dearly. She taught both MJ and Ty in their
5 day 3 year old classes… I wish she would stay one more year so Catelin would
be her student! We have been blessed to know her and have her in our
lives.
MJ:
MJ had his spring concert two weeks ago. It was adorable! He is in the middle of the pictures below with the
white shirt on...
The following Monday was field day. I volunteered
to do it at the beginning of the school year not thinking about the fact that I
would have a 2 week old at the time! But MJ was sooo excited about my being
there that I couldn’t miss out on the fun. My mom was kind enough to watch Ty,
Catelin and Jake so I could go…MJ was thrilled! And yes – he is VERY
competitive. :)
Last Thursday was Kindergarten graduation. I knew
I was in for it when I started crying while they were lining up at the very
beginning! I tried to keep myself busy by taking pictures but I just can’t
believe how quickly he is growing up…I mean, he is going to be in
first grade in August. Jake was busy drinking his
milk during the ceremony, Steve was multi-tasking (see pic below), and Catelin
and Ty kept trying to get big brother’s attention!
They had a reception afterwards and then we went to
celebrate with everyone at the park!
It was a very busy two weeks and now we are all
glad to be out for the summer!
We had a wonderful Mother’s Day! The preschool celebrated with the May crowning of Mary on the playground. It is such a sweet event every year. They provide breakfast for everyone and we watch the children sing songs and bring flowers up to Mary. Even though Jake was only one week old I felt like we couldn’t miss it! My mom and Colleen came as well and Jake was a trooper in the stroller.
Here are Ty and Catelin bringing the flowers up to the statue of Mary.
On Sunday we went to mass- our first as a family of 6! Jake did great and hung out in the car seat for the majority of it. After mass we went over Grandma and Grandpa Eco’s pool for swimming and lunch. It was a wonderful day…
I am feeling especially blessed this Mother’s Day…
And of course, Steve and I are so thankful for our own mothers. Both of them are such amazing women- the definition of loving and supportive. Thank you so much for everything. We are blessed.
Jacob Andrew Economos “Jake” was born Friday, May 1st at 4:30 pm. 7 lbs, 14 oz and 19.5”. He is beyond precious!!!!
My OB was going on vacation this week so we set up an induction for May 1st. I had scheduled inductions with all of the other kids and went into labor on my own before the induction dates so I was surprised that baby E #4 wanted to wait! I guess Jake was cozy in there.
Steve and I got MJ off to school that morning and then headed to the hospital while Catelin and Ty stayed at home with Ms. Lisa. When we got there, I was having contractions every 4-5 minutes so it looks like I was in the early stages of labor anyway.
We waited awhile to start the pitocin because my OB wasn’t available until the afternoon. Once I got the epidural and the pitocin was turned on labor went very quickly! Thankfully my OB arrived just in time!! Baby #4 was ready to make his/her debut … after three pushes I heard Steve yell “It’s a BOY!” and Jacob Andrew Economos arrived into this world. Jake was immediately placed on my chest and I was overwhelmed with love – the same instantaneous love I felt when MJ, Ty and Catelin were born. It was amazing.
Our deal for all the kids has been that Steve gets to announce the sex of the baby and when everyone goes back in the room I announce the name. Steve let MJ announce it this time- unfortunately I can’t upload it right now but I will try again later. It was too cute.
Our kids, Steve’s parents, my mom, Lisa, Nick’s family and Mike and Lee were all able to make it to the hospital. It was special to have all of them there to meet the newest member of our family of SIX!
The next two days were a blur. Jake did great but he had a slightly elevated temperature on Saturday night and they decided to do some labs. Everything looked good but his bilirubin level was a little high so they started him on phototherapy. Unfortunately that meant he had to stay another night in the hospital.
Steve and I stayed until late Sunday night before heading home without him. It was heartbreaking but I knew he was in good hands. The next morning I developed the worst headache I’ve ever had – we got to the hospital to see Jake but it was hard for me to focus due to the pain. We spent the morning with him but he was not going to be discharged until mid afternoon (he needed one more blood draw to confirm his levels were ok). By the afternoon my headache was off the charts on the pain scale so I called my OB who wanted me to go back to labor and delivery. That meant that Steve had to take Jake home without me!
I was beside myself but I couldn’t bear the pain. It turns out I had a complication from my epidural called a post dural puncture headache- some of my spinal fluid was leaking out and causes a splitting headache. They did a procedure on me that night called a blood patch where they draw your blood and then inject it back into that epidural space to essentially create a seal for the leak. My headache was almost instantaneously better. I had to lay down on my back for 2 hours after the procedure before we headed home. I was instructed to lie on my back for a minimum of 12 hours and take it easy for 2-3 more days. Thankfully I continue to feel better every day and am trying my hardest to be a good patient! I am blessed to have my mom, Colleen and Lisa here to help me and Steve with the kids. Thank you all so much!!!
MJ, Ty and Catelin are all obsessed with their baby brother – it is adorable!
Baby Jake is now one week old and doing great…we are all glad to be home together!
