Halloween 2009 - Ronnie's 1st!

Halloween shirts






Wrestling with Daddy


We went for a walk and then took Ronnie to the doctor. Since she has pink eye we didn't go out but we had some fun at home...

Halloween art projects



Only 2 kids were willing to wear their costumes...





Brad didn't want to be the only monster


Halloween 2008

Video of Boys

Rich took this on his cell phone on October 25, 2009

Bath Time!

Rub-a-dub-dub-3 kids in the tub. Well, actually the kitchen sink. This is bath time at our house...

1st is Bradley




2nd is Billy




3rd is Ronnie




This is a somewhat dangerous attempt to get a picture of 3 clean kids


And, finally, at Brad's request, a snack.

Brad's Snack

Brad askes for snacks all day long. Sometimes I swear he asks for 14,000 snacks a day.

Veronica Raye

Ronnie was born May 4, 2009 at 4:08am via VBAC at 37 weeks. She was 5 lbs and 17 inches long. Our biggest baby.

She was 37 weeks 2 days when she was born. From weeks 16-36 I received weekly progesterone injections to keep me pregnant. A nurse came to our house for 20 weeks to monitor me and the baby and give the shot. I also had a uterine monitor at home and had to hook up to it for an hour in the morning and an hour at night to monitor contractions. Reports from the machine were sent into a 24-hour nursing center and after every hour a nurse called and checked on me. At 23 weeks I was in labor and delivery for contractions and received 3 shots of Terbutaline which slowed things down. I was there again at 35 weeks, after 3 shots of Terbutaline and a shot of Morphine, I spent the night and things slowed down.

My water broke at 11pm on May 3, we arrived at the hospital at midnight and my contractions were 1 and a half minutes apart and was 4 cm. I got an epidural and was closely monitored for uterine rupture since I had a c-section 14 months before, there was a surgical team there and Rich was dressed to go to the OR just in case. After the epidural, Rich and I both took naps until I started pushing, except when they came in to check me. In attempt to avoid the epidural problems I had with the boys, it was given to me much slower this time which solved the problem. She was born 4 hours later. I was so happy to be able to do the VBAC. We were able to hold her and I was able to nurse her a few minutes after she was born.





Rich finally got to cut the cord.



It was an amazing experience to have a baby in my hospital room...





and be able to take one home with me.



Ronnie is a great baby, has been sleeping through the night for 2 months, she is always happy. She loves her brothers and doesn't want to miss a thing, she is always watching them!




It is so fun having a girl...check out those earrings!

Bradley Richard

Brad was born February 18, 2008 at 34 weeks via emergency c-section at 2:53am. He weighed 4 lbs 7 oz and was 17 inches long.

I was having contractions on and off all day. My water broke about midnight. We woke Billy up and the 3 of us left for the hospital. Billy was excited about being out when it was dark. Since we lived in Florida we didn't have anyone to watch him and so he was going too.
When I got to the hospital I was 5cm, I was ready for the epidural. When they were doing the epidural, they punctured the dura around my spinal cord, called a wet tap which causes a horrible headache.
Then, after all that was over, the same thing that happened after Billy was born, my blood pressure dipped and the baby's heartrate, but this baby didn't pick back up. The nurse started rolling me from side to side then up on my knees, back and forth to get him to pick back up and then started calling for help. My doctor hadn't even arrived yet and a resident came in and said they needed to do a c-section, they started wheeling me out immediately, people all around me and I waved goodbye to Rich and Billy. Rich couldn't leave Billy but even if he wasn't there it was happening too quick for Rich to get ready. When I got in the operating room, people were running all around me and they were calling for a NICU team, I remember them scrubbing my belly, my epidural never kicked in and I was so scared. Then, a nurse that was holding my hand put a mask on my face and the next thing was I woke up in recovery. They gave me a general so I was asleep for his birth. When I woke up, I felt my belly and wanted to know where my baby was, a NICU nurse came in and said he was ok and gave me a picture of him. The doctors told Rich after he was born that they were in such a hurry to get him out that they cut his face. IT wasn't bad and there is no scar. He was really bruised, the whole side of his face was purple. I could barely speak for a week from being intibated. We were both pretty beat up, but we were ok. From the time they decided to do the c-section to his delivery was 6 minutes. While I was still asleep, a nurse asked Rich what the baby's name was. He said my wife wants it to be Bradley and she said "Well, that is his name then"



He spent 10 days in the NICU







The three of us couldn't wait for him to come home...




Brad loves to eat, build with blocks, dance, go to the Y, calls, and have snacks.

William Lewis

Billy was born January 30, 2007. He surprised us very early arriving at 32 weeks. Hhe arrived at 6:26pm, weighing 3 lbs 11oz and was 16.9 inches long.

Throughout the night before he was born, I kept waking up feeling times of upset stomach, I thought. Eventually I couldn't sleep through it and called my mom about 6am. She said I needed to call my doctor. I decided to be at the office when they opened at 8:30. Rich said I just had indigestion since I was cleaning the night before and ate an entire pizza. So, he went off to law school and I drove myself to the doctor. By the time I got there, I could barely walk, the contractions had become so painful. My doctor saw me at the desk, trying to pay my co-pay and I could barely stand. They put me right in a room, hooked me up to monitor and examined me. I was 1 cm and 100% effaced. She said I needed to go to the hospital and that I shouldn't wait for Rich and that since it was rush hour they called an ambulance. I met Rich at the hospital. They tried to stop labor giving me Magnesium Sulfate but I kept progressing. At 7 cm, I got an epidural and was finally able to relax a little. My blood pressure dropped and the baby's heartrate right after the epidural but his heartrate picked right back up and all was fine. Right before he was born, my doctor called a NICU team and they were all there as I pushed him out and then they took him and checked him out. He was really doing well, just tiny and really early, but healthy. We were so lucky. We had not picked out a name yet and thought we had more time. We chose his name in the delivery room. (A trend that we continued 2 more times!)




He spent 5 weeks in the NICU.





When he was released he weighed 4 lbs 10 oz. He spent the next 9 months on an apnea monitor at home.



Billy is now 2 and a half year old, he loves going to the YMCA, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, watching Ninja Warrior with his Dad and brother, B-ball, doing sticker books and puzzles.