LENIX ABEL HOGAN

This is only about 2 1/2 months late but Lenix Abel is, and has been, here! Lenix was born on August 25th, 2011. He was 7lbs. 5oz., and 21 inches long. His birth was eventful, to say the least. After a very long, difficult, and generally uncomfortable pregnancy we were set for our induction on Tuesday August 23rd. After we arrived at the hospital we were escorted into our room to begin the process. About 15 minutes after getting settled into our room the nurse came in to inform us that I was 8 days away from my estimated due date (EDD) and the strict hospital policies/state regulations required that I be 7 days from my EDD. Despite my pleading, a hysterical me was sent home to wait one more day. Can you say ridiculous?! So we went back to the hospital on Wednesday the 24th at 6:00AM to start the induction process. I was put on pitocin, which started in a low dose but was increased every hour. At about 2:00 I was getting the maximum amount of pitocin but we had no progress in my labor. They stop giving me the medicine and the nurse decided to check the baby with an ultrasound. Sure enough, he was breech, just like Ramsey. We then had to wait for my doctor to get there with the breech baby specialist to see what our course of action would be. The specialist doctor tried to 'vert' the baby. Which basically means he tried to put Lenix into the head down position by manipulating my stomach with his bare hands. This was one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever experienced. After a good half an hour without much progress he said that Lenix just wasn't turning. At this point we had 2 options, we could leave and hope that he flipped into position by himself (they said this was only a 5-10% chance), or have a c-section. If he decided not to flip head down by himself within a week, I would have to get a c-section anyways. So we opted to just go ahead with the c-section. I never imagined I would even have to think about a c-section, let alone get one. After the decision was made, everything went VERY fast. They swept me away into the operating room, I got my epidural, Jess came in, and next thing I knew Lenix was crying! He was perfect. It was discovered during the operation that I have a bicornuate uterus. Which basically means it's heart shaped. It's a little weird that this was discovered with my 3rd child. Oh well. If I were going to have any more children (which we DO NOT plan on), I would avoid a c-section at all costs. The recovery was brutal! Especially when I got home and had all 3 boys to take care of. It was all worth it though. Now I have 3 of the best boys ever! I wouldn't change a thing. The cool thing is, I have unique stories about each of their births.

We still do not have a computer with Internet at this new house. I am writing this blog with Jess's work tablet, which doesn't have any inputs for memory cards to upload pictures. All of the pictures you will see on here are from my facebook profile. So for some of you, I am sorry for the repeat pictures.

This should be the very last time, I am changing blog names again! The new one will be: odenramseylenix.blogspot.com

Check back on the new blog for stories and pictures with all 3 boys!

We were going home in this one. But not before Lenix peed through 2 different outfits! It's a good thing I've learned to always be prepared, and to pack extra!!

In recovery, all we needed to recover was each other <3


I like to call this one "fresh out the oven"

Happy 1st Birthday RAMSEY

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since Ramsey's chaotic arrival! Thinking back on everything, it has been a wonderful year! Ramsey is one of the best kids ever! He's just so happy all the time! Don't get me wrong, he has his crabby moments, but overall he's an Angel! Definitely much different from Oden! Jess and I have already accepted the fact that Ramsey will most likely be our best behaved child. We're working with him everyday and encouraging his walking. We think he could do it, he just doesn't want to. Two days ago he walked the entire length of our living room rug (@ 8ft.) with no problem at all. He just prefers to crawl because he knows he can get wherever he's going faster! He now has 4 teeth on the top, and 2 on the bottom. He's been pulling on his ears a lot so we suspect we'll be seeing a few more popping through very soon! Swimming is Ramsey's new friend. Memorial Day weekend was pretty much his first swimming adventure. He likes the water, and I believe he will LOVE it as the pool water warms up throughout the summer! Oden is becoming quite the little fishy also! Both of these boys are growing up so fast! It's still hard to believe that in just a couple of months there will be 3 boys in our house!

WE LOVE YOU RAMSEY XAVIER!

Singing happy birthday, hoping for a big cake mess.....


Following after his big brother, Ramsey had very little interest in the cake.....SAD!

Hello to you all!! It has been a while since my last post and there has been lots going on! The weather is finally starting to cooperate, so we have been spending lots of time outside! One of our discoveries in spending so much time outdoors is that Ramsey HATES grass! It's so funny! Oden never went through this so it's completely new for us. We are very lucky to have lots of awesome parks around us. We go to them often to try to help rid these boys of their pent up energy!! Any park that we can find with the recycled, soft ground is awesome because Ramsey can crawl around. It's hard to believe but Ramsey's 1st birthday is only a little over a week away. This past year has gone by so quickly. We have decided to have his party at a gymnastics gym just down the street. Our tiny friends of all ages will be able to move around and play with the supervision of the gym's instructors. It will be lots of fun! It is also hitting me that Ramsey and Abel will only be 14 months apart. It is going to be a very trying couple of years after Abel is born. Ramsey is very attached to me and I fear that he will have a hard time adjusting to a baby in the house. I was scared about this same transition with Oden when Ramsey came along and everything is fine, so I hope things will work out that well this time around too. I am 27 weeks pregnant, I can almost see that finish line!! The best news we've gotten lately is that we will be closing on our house come mid-June, which is only 2 weeks away!! Thank goodness for more space inside, and for a yard for the boys to play in. We are very excited! I will post some pictures for Ramsey's birthday, so look for another blog entry from us in about a week ;)

Ramsey's 1st Easter

At the crack of dawn on Easter morning.....

The boys playing with their buddy, Rylan.

About a month ago, we told Oden he needed to throw his blankey in the garbage (because he was grinding him teeth with it at night). In reward I let him go to the store and pick a toy of his choice. He chose a bucket, garden shovel, and garden gloves! Too funny!

Here he is digging on our back yard.

adding to our army

For those who haven't heard, baby #3 will be another BOY! We couldn't be happier. We were excited about the possibility of a girl, and the different adventures she would bring. Upon further thought, we are very grateful to be having another boy. It will not be difficult to throw another boy into the mix here. We're used to them. I'm not sure I'd be able to handle a girl! Plus, we are thinking of all of the money we will save by not having to replace blue things with pink things!! Really, any and all babies are blessings, and we would have welcomed a girl just the same. Perhaps, God has noticed that we are pretty dang good at raising boys so he wanted to make things easier on us :) Anyways, we are thrilled to be adding to our army of boys. His name, as of now, will be Abel Roarke Hogan. This may or may not change. With Oden and Ramsey I had moments of doubt, but their names pretty much stayed the same throughout my pregnancies. I am almost half way there, I am almost 19 weeks pregnant!

On a side note, Ramsey is getting ready to walk. He is pulling up on anything and everything. He gives me mini heart attacks daily. He already has a bruise in the middle of his forehead, and a little bit of a skinned chin :( Hopefully I can get him to be a seasoned walker before the new babe gets here. Oden is doing great!! We're still just waiting for some consistent spring weather. He needs to expel his energy!!

We should have some news on the house we hope to buy late next week. Please say lots of prayers for us and keep your fingers crossed. This short sale process has been very tiring so we just pray there's a positive outcome in all of it!

these awesome baby boys

Just coming on to say a quick hello to everyone who checks this blog. The boys are doing great! Ramsey is getting around now. Not exactly crawling though. I would describe it more like the baby worm/flop. It works good for him and he sure does get around quickly. He can also put himself into and out of sitting position from his tummy. He's just so strong. I think walking is just around the corner. Oden is getting a little bit of cabin fever, but really who isn't?! We had a few warmer days of playing outside and now it's back to cold and snow. We need the outside air!! Let's hope that the groundhog was right this year!! Here are some new pictures to enjoy :)

Oden being goofy in Sarah's silly glasses

We had our first BBQ of the year with a house full of boys!!
We had five boys playing at our house at once.
Needless to say Jess had fun cleaning up after them!

Oden posing with SOME of his trains....

Brothers <3

Oden loves puzzles, and he's good at them too!!

Blogging shall never be the same

I have come to terms with the fact that I will just never be able to keep up with this blog. These boys keep me WAY too busy to do anything except take care of them and our house. Whenever I get a chance I will try my hardest to put some new stories and pictures on here :)

The Holidays were absolutely awesome this year. This was Ramsey's 1st Christmas, and Oden's 3rd. There were quite a few exceptional parties that we attended, and a couple of gatherings at our place that weren't too shabby either. We tried to really concentrate on making sure everything was comfortable and 'homey' for the boys. We did spend a lot of time at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which was unusual for us. We normally run around from house to house. I suppose it was time to start making our own family traditions and inviting our families to participate. It worked out well, I think. It's a little bit sad, but a part of growing up and raising our family.

Oden's actual birthday was on a Wednesday this year. We decided to just stay home and celebrate quietly. We got him a cupcake and a few small gifts, and basically just excessively loved him all day. It was great. Then, the following Sunday, we had a party at Chuck E. Cheese. Which I have to admit, was the best value for a birthday party to date! Most of Oden's close friends were there and it was cute to watch them run around and be crazy together. If you haven't been to a Chuck E Cheese lately, they have this procedure where they stamp the parents' and kids' hand with a matching number in UV ink when you enter. When you leave, your child cannot leave unless they're with the parents with the matching number. It's great! It provides a certain about of comfort normally unattainable at public places.
With Christmas and his birthday so close together, he got very spoiled with presents. For the month following both events he asked for a present everyday. It's hard to make him understand that he doesn't get presents all the time when he did get presents everyday for a week or so.


Ramsey is on the verge of crawling. He has his own versions of moving around right now. He likes to lift his butt straight in the air, and put his head down (similar to a 'plank' position, or a downward facing dog yoga pose). He scoots back pretty efficiently, and can do a complete 360 with almost no effort. He should be crawling any day now, and his teeth should be cutting through at anytime too!

Oden is finally wearing big boy undies!!! He woke up one morning, and just decided it was time to use the big boy potty. It's been about 2 weeks, and he's doing great. I think he's had about 3 accidents total. The next big step is getting him to go on the big potty instead of his froggy potty. We can't decide if it's nastier to change diapers or to clean the tiny kid toilets. It is awesome to be saving some money on diapers though!!

Both boys went to the doctor on January 17th. Oden was 3ft 1inch tall, and 27lbs, which was 50th percentile in weight and 35th percentile in height. Then Ramsey was 28 inches long, and 19lbs, which is about 50th percentile in both. They are both very healthy boys :) The doctor was impressed with Oden's talking and even more impressed with Ramsey's happy demeanor.

Last week we put an offer in on a new house in Plainfield and it was accepted two days later!! We are going to have a new, bigger home to raise these kids!!! YAY!! We are very excited!!