On with the babies..

Wow, it's been a while since I've been able to post! Sorry!

So, Alana Marie Warren graced this earth with her presence on Tuesday, March 15, 2005. She was the most beautiful little girl on the face of the earth. I was in love with her from the moment of conception, but seeing her face and hearing that first gut-wrenching cry is a memory that is forever etched in my mind. My pregnancy with her was fairly uneventful, however I did develop preclampsia in the later stages. She is Mommy's little princess, and I know as she grows older that she and I will be the best of friends.

I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy with Lani, close to 80 pounds. In 2006, I made a commitment to myself to do something about it. I held true to that commitment and lost 95 pounds in 2006. However, I didn't get much help at home, and it was very easy to fall victim to the same bad habits that got me fat in the first place. LOL I gained some of my weight back, and then in December 2007, we learned that the Lord was blessing us with a third child.

Allen and I had always talked about a third child, and decided to come off of contraceptives in October 2007 on our family vacation to Disney World. Well after much discussion, we pretty much decided we needed to accomplish some things prior to having another child... I was ready for another baby, Allen wasn't. Allen wanted to sell our home and begin construction of our new home on our 16 acres of land that we purchased. This caused quite a bit of friction in our marriage... I had my plans... and Allen had his... but God wanted us to have another baby.

My pregnancy with the new baby was very tiring. I'm not certain if it was so because I was older 28 & 29 this time! Or if it was because I had two children to care for this time around instead of just one. At any rate, it was a long, very trying 9 months of pregnancy. On August 7, 2008, the most handsome boy on the face of the earth (besides his daddy and big brother Austin) joined our family in the operating room. I remembered thinking as I was lying there on the operating table, WOW... I can't believe I can reproduce 3 years apart and my babies look just alike! His name is Elijah Thomas, but we call him Eli, EJ, lil Bubba, Lil Bro, chubbawubba, etc.

Eli has been a major blessing in our lives. He has taught me that no matter how much you think you love the people in your life, you can always have more love. My heart has exploded with love yet once again with his birth. I know I am far more vulnerable now than I as prior to his birth. He is my last child I will ever give birth to (I had a tubal this pregnancy)... he is MY baby, and I know that I will spoil him just as rotten as I have the other two, if not worse.

So, now that you have a glimpse into my history and the birth of my children... let the fun begin! I am truly blessed to have the life that I have. I have a wonderful supportive husband, three beautiful babies, and more love than most people people get to experience in a lifetime.