I suppose the only place to start is where we left off 6 months ago. I'm hoping I can remember all the details (honestly, there is a lot I'd just like to forget). The drive went well, we made it in a few days. I dropped Kate off at my sisters in Rochester along with my Mom and went down to NYC to start the many, many evaluations for Charlie. 
We hadn't seen Chris in about a month and Henry was itching to see him, so he came with. 
In a matter of a few days, we were able to see the Psychologist, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Educational Therapist and there was one more...I can't remember who it was. I am so thankful for old high school friend, Trish, for letting us crash at her place all those times! Charlie got in to an amazing program and we went back to Rochester for a few weeks while I looked for an apartment and we waited for school to start. Apartment hunting was miserable. There were a lot of tears. After a month of staying with my sister (who we are forever indebted to), we finally found a temporary place. Chris was headed to sign the lease when he was laid off. Laid off from the job that we moved to NYC for (the world of tv can be so fickle). Things get fuzzy here but I took the children to an old friends summer cottage (thank you, Judy!!) on Cape Cod while we tried to piece everything together. 
It's no exageration to say it was one of the worst weeks of my life. We were homeless, jobless, I was about to give birth to a new baby. I had been single parenting for the better part of the last 3 months and I was tired. School had started but we couldn't enroll the children anywhere because we didn't have an address. I was failing miserably as a parent. It was horrible. I came dangerously close to throwing in the towel. I felt like I was being given more than I could bear.
Chris frantically looked for another job, we came down to the city and stayed with friends while they went to Paris for a week. Charlie started school. Chris found a job. In Alaska. It meant he would be gone for 4 weeks and would miss the birth of baby #4. We agreed he needed to take it. We signed a temporary lease, loaded up a moving van in Boston and he flew out the next day. 2 days later I moved into the apartment with the children. 
I don't recommend moving alone when you are 38 weeks pregnant. I technically wasn't alone. 20 mormon missionaries from all over Manhattan showed up at my door on moving day and got everything into my apartment in a hour and 1/2. It took a solid 3 weeks to get furniture moved around, unpacked, etc.,. you know the drill. Mostly, I was just feeling like this:
Knowing I'd be delivering the baby alone, I was crossing my fingers she wouldn't come until my Mom could come out to stay with our other children. 
My Mom came out on Sat. night and I drove up to Boston the following Wed morning for a routine apt. I was a few days overdue at this point and due to some complications (really high blood pressure, go figure) they sent me straight to the hospital to be induced. Well, I didn't go straight to the hospital. I had boxes in my car that needed to be unloaded in our storage unit so I did that, vaccumed out the car and then went to Target to get myself some labor drinks and snacks. Then I valet parked the car at the hospital and checked myself in. 
So there I was in a big empty room, staring at that baby blanket, unable to believe there'd be a baby in there in no time at all. While having to give birth to a baby alone sounds miserable to most, I couldn't allow myself to think too hard about it. I had no other choice. There were many tender mercies along the way, namely, a nurse named Val who was only a few years younger than me and who knew I was there alone. She never left my side during her entire shift. I will be forever grateful to her. 
And then she came:
Tess Ellen Moore
born 10/10/2013
4:23 a.m. 7lbs 15oz
I texted Chris moments later in Alaska, "She's here!" It was too crazy to call right then.
And about 2 months later we blessed her at church:
We love her so much. She's hands down the best thing that came out of the last 6 months.
Part 2 coming soon.