Margaret Joy McCollem

Margaret Joy came into this world a week and a day late on September 5, 2017 at 5:08pm! She was 9lbs 8oz and 21 inches long. She came out with a full head of hair that keeps on growing! She is beautiful and just perfect!

Birthing Story
The early morning of  September 5 started having contractions. By 730 I told Darren to drop the kids off at school and come home and I may be ready to go to the hospital. While he was doing that I started timing contractions and they were five minutes apart.  He grabbed my bag a we headed to the hospital.  The nurses recognize me from the day before when I had a nonstress test because Margaret was a week late. I think they thought I was there trying to be induced.  I could not get an epidural until my platelets were checked and they would not draw my blood until they saw I was dialated. My contractions got very strong and the nurse did a check and I was at 6cm. I continued to wait to get the lab to count my platelets. It felt like forever To wait while they checked my platelet count and when the count came back they were at 101 just enough to get an epidural. They then walked me over to an L and D room and got me an epidural pretty quickly. After that I was very comfortable. Another doctor was on call so I thought my doctor would not be there to deliver her. Just as I was talking about my Dr to the nurse Dr. Kudlinski walked in the room. She was preparing for a surgery. She didn’t check to see how far along I was and decided she was going to do her surgery and come back for me to push. A few hours later she was back in the room and we were ready to deliver Margaret.  I pushed about three times for each contraction and on the forth contraction she was out.  Darren predicted an hour earlier that she would be born at 5:10 PM she beat him by two minutes. Margaret was put on my chest for some skin to skin and she started to do some grunting. The nurses took her and weighed her and made her cry to make sure her lungs were clear it out.  She was much bigger then I expected. We both fell in love instantly!

We had a lot of visitors after that.  Many of Darren‘s coworkers came to see her since they were already at the hospial. My grandparents came and then my parents and Ruth. My favorite visitors were of course the boys. I have the cutest video of them entering the room with big smiles on their  faces so excited to meet there baby sister. There was so much joy in that room it made my heart full.  I was very tired by this point so many visitors and nurses in the room and checks that I decided I was ready to go home. The nurses worked hard and get me out on September 6th at 9:00 PM. It was very nice to be back in my own bed and Margaret was an excellent sleeper from the start. It worked out well because Ruth was there so the boys could stay in the house and she got them ready for school.
 We really enjoyed having grandma Ruth here. The boys got to have fun with her and enjoyed her company. Week two I pulled my trapezius muscle and had a blood clot behind my knee so I end up going to the  emergency department to check it out and luckily it was a superficial clot. Right after Darren had one week Margaret home he started his new job. So having Ruth was extra helpful and it is always sad to say goodbye after having her for three and half weeks.

Margaret has been very chill and happy baby girl. She was smiling by week two and even giggled in her sleep. The boys love holding her and talking with her. Brice can hold her and she falls asleep on him. Nathan loves holding her and talking to her the most but he can’t control himself with the touching her face and her feet and her hands so she doesn’t get much sleep with him and starts fussing, too much love.  The boys are very helpful and will get me things if I need it and help me bathe her. I keep asking if you want to change your diaper so far I’ve had no takers.

 Margaret is the perfect addition to our family and we couldn’t be more happy!

Baby Girl Birthday Predictions 2017

Steph - Aug 25, 8-6. 20.5 inches brown hair blue eyes! 😍💗

Kristin - 8/26, 8lbs 2oz, 21 inches, a lot of brown hair, brown eyes. Adorable!😘👶🎀

Katie - 8/23, 7lbs 11oz. 21 inches. Brown hair and green eyes 👀

Megan - 8/26 brown eyes, "blonde-ish" hair, I want a mini-Siobhan! 8 lbs 11 oz and... 21 inches!

Heidi- August 22, 8 lbs 7 oz.  20 inches! I think blue eyes and and light hair!

Mom - Aug 23. 7lb11 oz

Dad - August 27th 8lb 2oz

Meg - My guess is August 24 (less than a week!! 😳) 8lbs 3oz

Grandpa Russ - Russ says Monday the 21st during the total eclipse. It will be a spectacular entrance & you can name her Moonbeam!  

Grandma Ruth - I think two days early on the 26 & 8lbs

Lauren M - 8/24 8lbs 5oz

Liz - 8/26 8lbs 7oz

Lauren E - August 28, 8lbs 5 oz

Jennifer - August 21st at 10:32 am. 7 pounds, 11 ounces

Marissa - Baby M will be born the 24th at 5:15 in the morning, weighing 8 pounds 9 oz! 

Marci - 8/24

Jenny - August 24 at 1:10pm. 8lbs, 15oz. 🎀🎀🎀 lots of brown hair 👶🏻👧🏻

John- September 3, 9lb 5oz

Riley- 8 lb, 14 oz and bday of 8/29.

Nathan - 8/28 8lb 5 oz. brown hair and blue eyes!

Brice - 8/25 7lbs blue eyes, blonde hair

Jessica - 8/26 8lb 1oz

Ava - 8/27 8lb 2oz

Amy - 8/30 7lb 14oz

Funny things the boys say

Brice and Nathan are very much alike and very much different. They are very close brothers which I am so happy about.

Brice
Brice is my very serious child he takes things very literally. He cracks jokes every once in a while trying them out and they're getting better with age. He can also be very sincerely sweet and has a sensitive side.

Brice and Riley in the car
Riley " zombies will be so scary people will be screaming their heads off!"
Brice "well their heads won't actually come off."
Riley "I know Brice it is an expression."
Brice " oh right I know."

Me "what do you do an art today for kindness week."
Brice " I drew a picture of me holding a rattle for baby girl well you went and made her some milk. She threw the milk you handed her and just looked at me and wanted me to play with her and the rattle.  I stayed with her the whole time you made her milk."

Me "papa is watching you guys this morning while he works please do not bother him until Grandma gets home, unless there is an emergency."
Brice "yeah we can go get papa if Nathan fell off the couch and breaks his arm. Or if someone comes inside the house that we don't know. Or if the TV falls or, or , or....."

Nathan
Nathan is my goofball. He cracks jokes all the time trying to get everyone and anyone to laugh. He's always singing and dancing and making up songs.  He is still nonstop touching baby girl in my stomach.  She is the first one he talks to you in the morning. He is a very loving and sweet boy (sometimes sincere and other times to get what he wants.) He is also a child that is never wrong and will not admit to being wrong. He picked up that McCollem gene somewhere along the line.

School questions of  the day are posted daily and three children get to answer a teacher's question.
Week 1 "Nathan M. wants to be everything he can be.!" ( he later told me it was supposed to say I can be everything I want to be except a spaceman.)

Week 2 " Nathan M went for a jog. He saw five poisonous frogs and two regular frogs."

Week 3 " Nathan M got to eat a Nutri-Grain bar at night. "

Baby showers

Baby girl is officially spoiled! She got not one, not two but three baby showers. Women love to celebrate cute little babies. We are officially overflowing with clothing!

Baby shower #1
The nurses that work with Darren through a potluck and baby shower for us. There was a lot good food,  a lot of diapers and a lot of girly girl clothes. Nurses are always super generous.

Baby shower #2
My mom and sisters put on a very nice baby shower at my moms house. What of my friends came to celebrate baby girl and spoiled us with lots of books, clothes, diapers, wipes and love.  They put together a nice spread of sandwiches and sides and an adorable cake and goodies and my mom decorate her house in pink for baby girl!

Baby shower #3
The Directors at Darren's work held a "surprise" baby shower for Darren. I knew about it and met them for happy hour at the Keg. They pitched in and got some more girl clothes and diapers.

Auntie Liz and Uncle Scott sent us a car seat and her mattress will be here in a few days.  I am currently rocking in baby girls room procrastinating putting things away and decided to catch up on my blog instead! I think we can say we are officially ready for whenever baby girl arrives!

Baby Girl Update

 This week I'm 37 weeks pregnant!  Baby girl has finally flipped and his head down. Hooray! I was starting to worry that we may have to do another version like we did with Brice but thankfully there is no need.  At my last appointment she was measuring normal and we had an ultrasound to prove she was head down. After all that excitement that she was they then told me I had low fluid. The Doctor  explained what that could mean and wanted to get me down for a nonstress test immediately. I went down to Banner Gateway and had the baby monitored.  It was pretty cute because she had hiccups on the monitor. Everything sounded and looked great.  I was then sent to a more thorough ultrasound where they check the umbilical cord, the placenta and the fluid. In the end my fluid was just fine. I was at 12.9 fluid and when I went in they thought I might have 3. There are pockets of fluid all around the baby that the first ultrasound couldn't pick up.  I had to get my blood redrawn to check my platelets and should find out at my appointment tomorrow what they are. I'm hoping they are at normal level and I can just have smooth sailing the next couple weeks until baby girl arrives!

Darren  thanks baby girl will have…
Brown eyes and brown hair.

Brice thinks baby girl will have...
Blue eyes and blonde hair and will look like him.

Nathan thinks baby girl will have...
Blue eyes and brown hair.

I know baby girl...
Is going to be absolutely adorable!'

💗💗💗💗

School Days 2017

School officially started on July 24. We had a meet the teacher the week before and both boys are gonna have a great school year. Brice got the second grade teacher he wanted Miss Fisher he said she's beautiful. Nathan has Miss Burnette and she is going to be great for him in pre-K.  We have started week three of school and so far so good. I've had a little sadness from Nate saying he wants to go home with me but is fine once we get there and he gets in with his friends. Brice has already been on green which is for good behavior and if you get anything above green you get to put your name in a raffle for the end of the week for a prize.  This is so up brices alley, he is motivated by winning and things!

Here is to a great school year!!!

Boys Update

I have tried to keep the boys busy this summer. Normally we would go to California and visit my sisters, but being in my third trimester it's best to stay home and not have my ankles swell!  So we are facing the heat this summer and keeping the boys active so they are not wrestling and fighting with each other constantly. I signed them up for swim lessons and both are doing awesome. Brice is in level 4 and has  to swim the length of the pool multiple times he's doing amazing with it. He's learning all the different strokes. He says his favorite is the butterfly!  Nathan has really grown from swimming last year.  He can swim/float on his back, forwards with "ice cream scoops" and swim under the water. He started wearing googles, but has since decided he doesn't like them.  Nathan also started a 10 week karate program this summer.  He really seems to enjoy going  and looks very cute in his karate outfit doing his moves.  My parents gave us their old Wii and games and the boys really seem to enjoy playing that. It keeps them moving and gets some energy out. I love watching them play Just Dance. Brice has mastered boxing while Nathan has dominated tennis. We have checked off a lot of boxes on our Summer Fun List.
✔️ Swim lessons
✔️ Sleep over grandma and papas
✔️ Play the iPad
✔️ Go to Urban Jungle
✔️ Build a fort
✔️ Sleep on the couch
✔️ Join The summer reading program
✔️ Karate
✔️ Go to the movies (Lego Batman and Despicable Me 3)

Baby Girl Update

On July 17th, 2017 I will be 34  weeks pregnant. Below are the good and the bad. Although nothing is really bad, just some minor setbacks to being pregnant with a third child!

Good
Baby is  healthy
Her heart rate is great
I have gained the least amount of weight with her
She is a mover
All her ultrasound look great
It is looking like she will be my smallest baby
Ultrasound is showing she has a lot of hair. Perfect for Bows!

The not so good
She is still breach
I have mildly low platelets
Sleeping is difficult
I am having restless legs with her
Some varicose vein's have shown up
I am eating Tums like candy

Memorial Day Cookout

We had a cookout with friends and there families on Memorial Day. It always seems to be my favorite cookout. It's hot but the pool still feels nice and everyone is freshly out of school and excited. I love seeing the kids run around playing and it's great having adult conversations!

Steph's Baby Shower

 I took a weekend trip to go to Colorado for Steph's baby girl shower Darren stayed home the weekend with the boys and have their own fun. It was great to get up there in the cooler weather and spend time with great friends.  I stayed at Kristin and Chris's house which was very comfortable and very quiet. Kristin put on a great baby shower for Steph and Steph's baby got spoiled with a lot of great gifts.  I got to see their houses and have some great food and great conversation. It is pretty cool that our baby girls will only be 6 weeks apart!