2 weeks old

Corbin is 2 weeks old! He is such a sweet and good little baby. God blessed us, knowing we already had a house full of busy little ones!
He is 8lbs 9 ounces at his 2 week appt. He is growing very fast! Poor guy has a little baby acne....I think it is stress related, only because I took him out of the house of girls and it went away! I think I may break out from stress as well:)
The kids are all doing well. Everyone wants to be around Corbin all of the time! They are all pretty cute! Chloe is still in awe of him and is so happy about having a little brother. She tells everyone she has a new brother.
We had our first dinner out with the entire family. It was only to Jason's Deli, but still a first. Man, we turn heads...and it isn't our good looks...just the fact that when we walk in we reach capacity!:) We also went to a pumpkin patch. The minute we got out of the car it dropped 20 degrees. So Corbin had to stay bundled in his carrier. The girls, Fred, my sister Ginny and I did a walk for FAAN. It is a Food Allergy network. The kids had a ball, and Ninny got to have bonding time with Corbin at home!
Each day seems a little calmer....however that word is completely relative!

Happy 1st week birthday!

On Monday Corbin turned one week old! Can you believe it! We can't. Time flies when you are getting no sleep:)
Actually his is good. He sleeps pretty much all the time. Seems to be a Sparks thing! Count my blessing on that!
He is so sweet. I know people say that babies can't smile this young. But he smiles all the times. And is so cute. It is amazing(and crazy) to have a little baby in the house again! This evening it was just me, Laurel, Anabelle and Corbin. I lined all 3 up for a diaper change. It is amazing how big a bottom can get in just 15 months! Amen to all my girlfriends out there!:)
Seriously. Just having the kids lying down next to each other, it is amazing to see what God does in such a short amount of time.
Laurel and Anabelle just look at Corbin. Chloe has been giving him a bottle every once in a while. She did say the other day..."Mommy, you don't need anymore babies in your tummy. We have a lot of babies already!" You never know what she is going to say.
We did have a crazy first few days home. Monday, Corbin's birthday, was spent from 1-4:45 at the doctor/hospital for a follow up on his jaundice. We had to draw the blood at the dr office and then take it to the lab at the hospital to get it back the same day. So I had to go through admission(which took almost an hour and a half) and then find the lab. Seriously, I was told by 3 different people, 3 different places to drop it off. All of them wrong. In the mean time, mom is driving around with Laurel and Anabelle in the car because we thought we would be done in an hour. Chloe is with me and wants a nap. It was great fun.
Then Sunday night and Monday night, Chloe was up coughing. Fred had to deal with that all night because I was up feeding Corbin. He was pretty tired.
So we think we are in the clear....then Laurel woke up so sad on Tuesday morning. Mom got up with her and finally came in my room and broke the news...she thought Laurel had an ear infection. I looked at her and almost cried. I hated Laurel in pain, but also couldn't imagine making everyone go to the dr again(We all have to go bc I can't drive yet).
So I called Fred with my plea. He met mom at the drs office while I stayed home with the kids. Sure enough, ear infection. This is our first out of 4 kids in almost 4 years. So we were surprised. She was so sad and miserable all day. But today you would have thought we all had a new bill of health.

The picture I am attaching is on Corbin's birthday(the ones of him alone).
Isn't he a cutie pie!

Oh ya...Fred gave Corbin a bath tonight. He said the funniest thing as Corbin peed in the tub..."This reminds me of the scene in a League of Their Own when Tom Hanks is peeing forever." First...sad he knows that movie:) But I died laughing. I have never seen so much tinkle in my life...Chloe has nicknamed him the tinkle monster.
Laurel = the cuddle monster
Anabelle = the giggle monster
herself(Chloe) = the helper monster
All very suitable names..

pictures

Home from the hospital

You can see me online:)
http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage.asp?UrlID=0U5V5D5H7P

password is sparks

Wow! I feel like we were at the hospital forever! We did have an extended stay bc mom wasn't feeling well at all on our day we were suppose to leave. I tried to get the nurse to let us leave that night but she insisted that the dr said no. It was for the best bc I woke up the next day feeling so much better. I am sure if I had been at home, I wouldn't have had the chance to rest like I needed to. In fact I know! We came home on Saturday. What a crazy day. I remember thinking how life was crazy when we brought Chloe, our first home. Ya right. We came home to figuring out soccer transportation, a birthday party and 2 crazy little twins! But with the help of my wonderful family and friends it all fell into place just fine.

Laurel and Anabelle were very excited to see us. They are so funny. They love to look at Corbin in his cradle. I do have to be careful of what the put in there. Anabelle is insistent on feeding him! I found a graham cracker in there! Laurel like to pat his head(well, when she isn't trying to pick his nose). Chloe wants to hold him so bad. That poor little girl asks every minute if she can hold him. She broke out and with a bad case of eczema and the pediatrician said she shouldn't hold him until it clears, like 10 days. Oh my goodness. It is like torture. I am going to have my heart broken as a mother many times, I can already tell. I hate seeing my kids suffer when it isn't their fault!

Corbin is great. He sleeps great and doesn't cry. The other 3 kids didn't cry much, but you better believe we always had a pacifier in reach. Corbin is just laid back. He only cried when daddy takes too long changing his diaper. Which brings me to that topic. Going from 3 girls in diapers to a boy is a TOTALLY different ball game. This little turkey loves to pee on dad. Of course what do I do, I laugh:)

We had some friend and family that wanted to see Corbin the last few days, and I apologize for having to say no. I was just not feeling well at all. So please forgive me and know that it means a lot to us that you wanted to see him and us. Hopefully we will enter the world again soon:) Now it is a logistical issue:) But I love logistics, so I am sure I will figure a plan out soon! Fred has been amazing as always with the kids. I can't complain about his help. Mom has been a slave to us already, but we repay her by letting her hold Corbin:)

Love,
Fred, Corbin and the Sparks girls:)

Some fun things going on in Baby Corbin's World

Well, it is 6am and I am awake. I will probably fall asleep while typing in a few minutes!
This little guy is so sweet. He is a terrific eater which is fantastic! Hopefully he will stay this way! Today he is wearing his adorable. He is wearing his OSU baby cap and socks today! Aunt GiGi scored with daddy when she gave Corbin that little gift! I must say he looks good, at least as a fan!
Some great things I want to share are:
1) Chloe will tell you his name is Luke or Corbin Roy Luke Sparks. She really wanted to name him Luke.
2) Chloe was holding and rocking Corbin and I told her I needed to take him and feed him. She looked up at me and very seriously said, "But I want to feed him with my chest!" The room got silent with big grins on our faces.
4) Laurel took inventory on what was up his left nostril!

Well, we will have more fun in the next few days.
Thank you for your continued prayers and calls.

And Baby makes 6

Yes! HE has arrived. Corbin Roy Sparks entered our lives and our hearts at 12:18pm on October 9th 2006. He arrived about 2 weeks early, but we were expecting him. Weighing in at 7lbs 14 ounces and 21 inches long, he is one handsome guy!
He has dark hair with some beautiful blond highlites. His eyes are a deep clue and remind us of the first time we saw Chloe! He has sweet cheeks and lips! We laugh because neither Fred or I have lips, so we don't know where he got them! He is very very pink and warm. About the warmest baby I have ever held! He has big feet, which leads me to the naming of the newest Mr. Sparks.

Up until 12:30, we did not have a boy name picked out(or agreed on). We started surgery on time, at 12:00pm. By 12:02, we were well on our way to meeting the newest Sparks' addition. At 12:18 we heard that beautiful cry...you have heard it before...that cry that means new life is in the air! Then the next thing we hear is, "It's a boy! It's definitely a boy!" I looked at Fred and his eyes said it all. I then saw this little guy go past me, only to get s fast glance that he was 'definitely' a boy, and laid down in his little clear crib. Fred gave me a kiss and walked over to him. He stood there and watched the nurses do their work. The weighing, cleaning and then cutting of the umbilical cord. It was the first time Fred got to do that. I in the mean time am tilting my head as hard as I can to see what is going on and crying tears of joy. My dr. asks me how I am and I say fine. He then says, "What do you think about having a boy?" I said, "Well, I think he doesn't have a name!" About then, with my OBs nurse holding my hand, my son is held up so I can get a good look at him. It was at that very moment I realized.....I really wanted a boy. Until then, I didn't think I "really" wanted a boy. However, I didn't think I didn't want a boy either. It is an unexplainable feeling. But all of a sudden the world felt just right and perfect to me.
Fred sat down next to me and they handed our son to us. We held him and looked at him. I looked up at Fred and said, "He is your son. You can name him." Now, take into consideration I was on a lot of drugs. But I did feel like he should have this honor. They put him back into his little clear bed. Fred said, "What should his middle name be? Roy or Dale?" My father's name was Roy Dale. So we had always said we would like to name a child after him. For those of you that knew my dad, you knew he was very tall and had big feet. So we glance over and our little boy is kicking his foot in the air. Fred looks at his foot and says, "He looks like he has big feet! I think he will be a Roy."
So we named him Corbin Roy Sparks! And he is perfect in every way.
God has blessed us again with a a healthy and beautiful baby! Baby Boy that is!

Oh Boy Oh Boy

Its Ginny, Julie's younger sister...she asked me to update her blog. Yes you guessed it number 4 is a BOY!!! Everyone is SOOO excited. Chloe couldn't be more excited to have a little brother. Anabelle and Laurel haven't made it up to the hospital yet.Stats:Corbin Roy Sparks (Roy was our dad's name)7 lbs 14 oz21 inches longPERFECT! He is a true blessing in every way. Mom is doing GREAT including the occassional tears of joy. Dad is proud, he hasn't called the recruiters from OSU football YET. Just kidding :)The one "issue" is that Chloe really wants his name to be Luke so don't be surprised if you hear her refer to baby Corbin as Luke.I am just humbled by the amazing gifts God has given Julie, Fred and our entire family. Thank God for the grace He has given us in Jesus Christ and today we especially praise His name for His amazing creation in this new baby boy.

10 hours away

10 hours away and we are parents to a newborn yet once again! 10 hours away and we have almost doubled the average # of children per household. 10 hours away and we are doubly(a word?) out numbered by our children! 10 hours away and we have another set of 10 fingers, 10 toes and 1 heart to love and take care of.
We really can't believe it is finally here. October 9th! The day we have been waiting for! To think that we will be having a baby today amazes me!
With Chloe we did know we would have her on the 6th, but just didn't know the exact when and how. With Laurel and Anablle, we really didn't expect them on the 8th, so it was a whirl wind.
Speaking of, Laurel and Anabelle celebrated their 15 month birthdays on Sunday! Nothing special for that day but a lot of extra kisses!:)
They of course are clue-less as to what is about to happen. For them, they will know no different in terms of a younger sibling. Shoot, I expect we might hear a lot of...Are those triplets?
As for Chloe. That little princess is beside herself. She is so giddy about a new baby on the way. Every day she asks about the baby and when he or she is going to arrive! I am surprised she was able to go to bed tonight!.
We bought a little book, "Are you having a Boy or a Girl." It had over 50 questions in it that are ridiculous yet silly to determine the gender. Chloe stayed up with us after L&A went to bed and did all the funny tests! She of course then made me do some of them on her...
I am not going to share the results....:) Not until after the baby is born!
Well, I suppose I should head to bed. We have an early morning. You would think that with a noon C section we wouldn't. But just getting everyone situated makes for early rising! Not to mention I want to vacuum the house before we leave. I know, ridiculous! I also just wanted to point out I am a rebel. The nurse called around 8pm and reminded me, no food or water after midnight! I just finished a blue berry muffin. I guess I am counting on the dr to be running late! Shhhhhh. Don't tell anyone:)
Thank you for your sweet calls of encouragement and prayers. They really meant a lot to us. I know having #4 might seem to some like..oh they have been there done that...and at times it does....but it doesn't change the excitement and nervous feelings that come a long with it all! So thank you.

Love,
Julie and Fred

Just around the corner

Well, today I had my official last appointment for baby Sparks #4. I was secretly hoping my doctor would delivery me today! I am so ready. I think it is almost easier to go in and have this baby on a whim verses thinking I need to accomplish all these things before Monday arrives.
But no matter what, it will be perfect.
The kids went with me today and wore their scrubs. I don't think I will have everyone at the hospital with me once the baby is born, so I wanted to get a picture of the kids with my/our doctor before the baby arrived. Our nurse gave them all masks and they loved them. I might keep Anabelle's on her to keep her a little quieter. Chloe asked why the doctor wears the mask..I said, "If he sneezes, he won't sneeze on the baby!" So she spent the rest of the time sneezing! What a hoot.

I still can't believe we are having a baby next week. It seems less real then when we had Chloe or the twins.
I guess that day it will be very real!
We still don't know if we are having Luke or Mary Poppins(those are the names Chloe has come up with).
I still get nervous thinking about having this baby. Only because I am already wanting to make sure he/she is just fine. And of course thinking about my other kids and how they will be doing. I also think about my health and how it greatly impacts my children and husband. So of course I want the best from my doctor on delivery day!

I continue to be led to the following verses:

"Proverbs 3:5-8 – Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD
and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."

Rom 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Well, until "birth day!"