Too Good To Be True...

Lately I've been feeling like my life is too good to be true...like I'm just waiting for the bottom to fall out...for whatever reason, family life just feels more complete than it used to now that Adler has joined the ranks. That sounds weird because my life felt complete before him but now that he's here...it's even more complete...better. Maybe it's seeing Ayris and Asher with him and how good they are. I'm so used to Ayris and Asher just fighting with one another (which seems like nonstop sometimes) but on their own, they are so gentle and loving to Adler...perhaps it's just that I'm seeing their "loving nature" more often since there's another sibling in the picture now...whatever it is, I'm loving it...and I'm loving life...but there's this constant thought in the back of my head...the what if...what if something happens to one of the kids...or to Chris, or even myself? Thinking like that absolutely makes me sick...but then I question what makes me more derserving of having such a full and wonderful life when others don't/can't. I just want a guarantee from God himself that all of us are going to live long happy lives and that I have nothing to worry about. Some idiot ran a red light yesterday and I was about 3 inches from hitting him...and I had Ayris and Asher in the car with me...that was just a huge reminder of the fact that I don't even want my kids to drive...EVER. Or even leave the house for that matter. Quite frankly, I don't even want them to grow up...as exhausting as it can be...I'd just rather take care of them forever. I heard this song below on another blog tonight...it super sucks and made me cry...why does life go on and move so fast? Why can't it just circle around forever?




This is the Woombie...it's supposed to mimic the womb while keeping them contained but allowing more movement than regular swaddling.  It's still a little big for him...plus, he's not big on swaddling =)


Okay, so I think this is a darling picture and all...but doesn't he kind of remind you of Benjamin Button in this pic?

I'm Dating Betty White...

Let me just set up the scene...I drive up to some fancy New York skyscraper and let Betty White out...I tell her I'll wait right there while she gets her hair done...then Sarah Jessica Parker climbs into my car...(because you know...we're tight like that!)

Me: So, you wanna know something? I'm dating Betty White...that's weird right?
Sarah Jessica Parker: No...actually, I think it's kind of cool.

Say what?? Yeah, that was my dream as of about 3:01 this morning...one of the FEW times I've been happy to hear my alarm go off...Betty White is cool and all, but the girl needs to get out of my dreams.

In other news, Adler is actually turning into a not so perfect child...he's still like 95% perfect right now but he had just finished a bottle when I got down here (and usually I feed him his 3 a.m. bottle because I like to see all my hard pumped milk flowing from the bottle I'm feeding him) so I was like whatever, I'll just pump...post this craziness that is Betty White on the blog and then head back to bed...Yeah...the little man started fussing so I picked him up and started multi-tasking...picture editing/blogging/pumping and rocking him while stroking his head with one hand and doing the editing with another...but he kept making his little grunts...needless to say, he just finished off ANOTHER 2 ounces that I just pumped in addition to the 3 ounces 10 minutes ago...all I have to say about that is that he is going to be in T.R.O.U.B.L.E if any of that milk comes up! Throwing up formula is one thing...throwing up MY milk is another since I endure the pain and slave over making it 24/7! Needless to say, this might be the beginning of a new chapter...I might actually have THREE kids at this point instead of like 2.2 kids...which is what it's seemed like since he sleeps 24/7 (and don't get me wrong...the kid has been work...he may sleep...but he is now eating every 2-3 hours and I am pumping every 2-3 hours (even at night!) and I'm averaging about 2-3 loads of laundry a day partly in thanks to him and I'm now changing 2-3 poopy diapers a day (and more pee), and cleaning out bottles and pump parts multiple times a day and of course wanting to hold him the rest of the time...so if you do the math...he's still a little time stealer...BUT in addition to sucking up my time...he might just start to have a little fussiness/attitude thrown on top of it =) Which is fine...because I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with him...no one can be perfect 100% of the time right? =) Time to go rock my boy =) But not without a few pictures...

Finally...Some Pictures!

Alright, I hope you enjoy these pictures since I've only been working on getting them edited and up for the past 4 mornings at around 3 a.m. while I'm pumping...it seems there's been no other time to do them during the day! And later this morning, I'll be busy "having fun" with Ayris as she informed me last night that "one of these days, I'm going to get you to play with me instead of doing boring laundry and boring dishes and boring computer stuff so you can have some FUN!"...She started by asking me why I never play with her like Chris does (Lucky...which I always had an excuse not to do while I was pregnant...not sure how crazy I am about the idea of being a horse carrying two kids while I walk around the floor...but we'll see! I'm more into superman and bird rides myself!)...then she goes on to tell me that we can play "walking games"...and I asked her what that meant, and she goes "You know...we'll walk instead of run and chase because I don't want you to get hurt..." and I was like "Why would I get hurt?" and she was like "Because of your big 'ole tummy...I don't want you to fall down and hurt yourself" and I was like "You still think my tummy is big???" and she was like "Well, not like big big, but it's still a little big mom"...UMMMM thanks AYRIS for telling me how it is! I'll have you know, I'm only 6 pounds away from my starting weight people...but I'm with Ayris...I need to drop about 16 more to be happy myself...and apparently to lose this big tummy =) Anyway, on to the pictures...and seriously...thank me later...I've already lost an extra hour of sleep just this morning! =)

Man! Don't you just want to crawl in there with him? He looks so comfy and warm and lovey...









Doesn't this look like he could be twins? A lighter and tanner version? I'm just posting these 1) so you can see that he has opened his eyes at least once...and 2) because these don't have any editing done so, it's amazing how the same camera can take such different pictures...of course, maybe I had the flash on in one and not the other? Who knows at this point.

















For whatever reason, Ayris was holding Adler's hand and had to let go...she went to get a barbie so he'd still have someone to hold his hand...







Adler in his "My Uncle Is #1!" onesie that I made him:



When we went out to celebrate RJ's graduation, Asher was INSISTENT on getting a piece of cake with just RJ's head...he waited for a good while before he got it but he was crazy happy once he did. On the right is a picture of one of the many Collins household talents...I have been waiting to do just this myself since about 7 months of pregnancy...I'm still holding off since I don't want to tear any stitches but...it'll be happening soon! I keep telling Chris our next Christmas card needs to be all 4 of us on the couch doing this...but no such luck yet!



My boys! It's crazy to say that since Chris always joked we'd always have more females in the house (all of our rats, rabbits, lizards and cats were female and then obviously Ayris came along...now who is winning the gender competition? I'm going with the men because animals don't count anymore!)



This needs no title...just the many faces of RJ...









This is the only clear picture I got from RJ's wedding...I only managed to take like 4 total...



AND...we're done!...for now...

Asher Playing Video Games...

This was from last night right before going to bed...Chris found a new game for Asher to play (that coincidentally he's REALLY good at...it's not going to be long before Asher is a challenge for Chris to play!) and for a while he sat on the couch but then he started getting really involved and the next thing you know, he was on the floor "jumping" around while playing the game as though that was going to help his technique...he was very serious about it!

Asherjumpingvideogame from Michelle Collins on Vimeo.

You'll note the new haircut...he decided to cut his hair this weekend on his own so two days ago, I shaved it off (the shortest bit was right to the scalp and no matter what clipper attachment I used, the only thing that cut close enough was the actual clipper blade) and the kid was DEVESTATED. He cried uncontrollably for about 30 minutes straight (no kidding) and kept telling me to put it back on. I finally got him calmed down telling him that we could use some magic shampoo and maybe it would help it grow faster but the rest of the day and night all he would say is that he wanted his "hair UP and not DOWN"...he would start to cry about it each time he said it but by yesterday...he was a little better. He still says he wants it up but without the crying now...and Ayris has been great about it because she keeps telling him that she thinks it's "growing up ALOT Buddy!" to reassure him. =)

Cutest Baby EVER!...(In Addition to the First Two Cutest Babies Ever!)

This is just proof I'm already making this little man happy =)  OR he's just sleeping like crazy and giving us sleep smiles all day long...there'll be more pictures to come at some point...when I get more time...or when Ayris gets off the computer long enough for me to do so (we don't have cable currently...we've had Direct TV out three times...and now we're having issues with the association...SUCKS not having cartoons to put on!)

Adler Christopher Collins

So yesterday I had a plan...we were going to go in at 7:30 a.m. and he'd be born before 2...for sure...because the other two kids came in between 2 and 3 and this was my third so of course he'd go faster! Yeah...he had absolutely no intentions of getting out yesterday. He made us wait and wait and wait...but then at 5:59 p.m. he was ready! He weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces, was 20.5 inches long and ONLY had a 13 inch head =) So even though he was almost as heavy as Asher, he looks smaller because of his cute little head. He also has hair that is dark, instead of Asher and Ayris' bald blonde fuzz that they had...so we finally got a baby that looks a lot more like Chris starting out! I, of course figured he would be bald and blonde like the others so I think at this point, I'm just not going to have preconceived notions and PLANS for delivery in place when it's time for the next birth =) Anyway, I'm itching to get back into bed with him so I'll just throw up a couple of pictures for you...Obviously there will be more to come...I just don't have a ton of pictures yet and the ones I do, it takes forever to edit and then arrange them before I can even put them on the blog.

Wow...this is my 200th Post! What Better Way To Celebrate Than To Go Have a Baby!!

Well...this is the last time you'll be seeing me like this:



Matter of fact, it's probably the last time you'll be seeing me in any pictures on the blog for a while...because that cute little belly is about to become about 33 rolls worth of fat once this little guy comes out...at which point...there ain't gonna be nothin' cute about that! (The rolls...not the baby...I'll be posting PLENTY of him...if he's cute...I kid, I kid...sorta.

Baby Adler Coming Soon...Like Tomorrow More Than Likely...

hiya all  (<----that was from Chris...it was actually his idea to start a blog forever ago and I thought it was a dumb idea...so guess who has never even written a post??  and who decided to make one after all =)

SO...on to the baby update...even though lazy butt nurse never called to schedule it...they were still able to get me in tomorrow...that is unless a ton of mommies decide to go into labor on their own tonight leaving no rooms for me tomorrow...but the chances of that, I'm assuming are small...I have to call in at 6:30 tomorrow a.m. and if it's a go...I need to be there by no later than 7 a.m.  Which at this point, means Adler will probably be born less than 24 hours from now...that kind of just made me nauseous when I wrote that down just now.  Scary!  So much to do...so little time at this point...I have lots of hair to shave...toes to repaint...a bag to pack...dishes to do, carpet to vacuum...a bath to take...mail to sort...TV shows to watch (you know that's important!) and kids to love on before their two little lives change forever tomorrow.  Ayris was ecstatic to find out she would be meeting her brother tomorrow...she is dying to hold him...and she even conveniently asked again how he got into my stomach in the first place...so I retold her the story of daddy putting his fishies in me to go find my egg and that those together made a baby =)  That seemed to be enough information at this point...she already knows how dogs make babies so I assumed if she persisted I would just tell her it's the same way...I honestly am the type of parent who could care less and will answer any of her questions honestly if she keeps looking for information...the only problem I foresee is other parents getting mad that my child has taught their child about the birds and the bees...or the fact that Santa and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, etc...aren't real...obviously we haven't told her any of that yet either but I'm not one to keep things from the kids...Ayris already knows about bad people being in the world...and that bad things happen...little kids get cancer and die...or hit by cars and die...strangers can take you if you're not staying close to mom or dad or grandma, etc...I personally think it's a disservice to let a child think otherwise...I would rather my children be less trusting of strangers than not...ANYWAY, not sure where I was going with all of that!

I'm going to leave you with some pictures of the kids from yesterdays family outing: 















(Notice the nice wrinkles I have on my eyebrow from squinting to take the picture...another sign of my impending old age!)