Second Week

Little One went to his dr appointment for his 2 week check up. He's a whoppin 9 lbs. 7 oz. and 22 inches. He's growing fast, and has the chin to prove it :)

 

Highlights from his 2nd week:

*He lost his cord! 

*He's starting to smile. I thought I was just an excited Momma, but one morning, my mom said "Ok, that was a smile." and then I knew. Out of the 3 kids, he's smiled the soonest. I hope this means he will be a pleasant and happy kid.

*He also will coo once or twice a day, right after he smiles at you.

*With his smiles, he makes great eye contact. 

*He also has really good neck control and likes to show us how strong he is. We aren't the best at doing tummy time, but try to get it in a few times a week.

 

one of the few cross-eyed pictures I have. And he doesn't even do this now that he's older.

 

 

This picture below is really bad quality because it's from my phone (which is really old, not a smart phone, and sat in the sink for a few hours soaking with the dishes). But it's the only picture I took while my mom was here. She was amazing help with all the kids, and me, and the house, and I miss her. She is talking with Little One in this picture and he smiled at her right after I snapped this picture. It's sad to me this time around, that my baby won't be living close to his grandparents. They grow so fast and I know grandparents LOVE being with them. Both my older kids love their grandparents and enjoy having that relationship.

First Week

When Little One was born, he got jaundice a few days later. We had to take him to a lab and prick his heel a few times to check his bilirubin count. He also was born with a large hematoma on his head-which looks like a very large goose egg. As the hematoma goes away it causes more jaundice. So, the dr said we could put him in sunlight. They don't know if this really helps with jaundice anymore, but he said it doesn't hurt. So we did that a few times. I took these photos after one of his sunbathing sessions.

 

I'm a fan of crying pictures

He was smirking in his sleep, and I was able to catch it on camera

This picture below was taken on his week birthday. He was having a sad day, and finally had fallen asleep in the boppy. I thought he looked so peaceful.

He's here

Born at 10:45 am, 8 lbs 5.5 oz, 20 inches

 

Our little one was due on May3rd, and we were going to be induced that morning. But he had his own plans :) On Wednesday afternoon, I wasn't feeling well and something seemed different. At work people were asking Kenny if the baby was coming early and he laughed and said I had no signs of labor, which was true. Except he didn't answer my texts, so he didn't realize until he came home that things were feeling different. My contractions started in the night, and I basically didn't get any rest on Wednesday night. I watched some tv and let Kenny sleep. At one point I knew that the baby as coming, but since my contractions weren't intense or even close, I thought maybe it would be sometime in the afternoon, and Kenny could get a few hours of work in. Then around 4-ish things started speeding up, and I decided I should probably take a shower because it would be nice to go to the hospital clean. In the shower I realized that since I had 3 contractions in the 15 minutes I was in there that we would need to head to the hospital sooner. I was hoping we could get the kids to school, and then head over, that way they would be taken care of. As soon as I stepped out of the shower my contractions intensified, but I crawled back into bed. I told Kenny that we would be heading to the hospital soon and he asked if he needed to get ready. I told him no to go back to sleep. Well I then started timing the contractions and since they were 3-5 minutes apart, and a few were hurting me, I told him maybe he should shower, and we had to figure out what to do with the kids. So at about 4:45, I called my friend Patty. Luckily she answered her phone and was very willing to come over and stay with the kids and get them to school. So while Kenny finished getting ready, so did I, and I packed the kids lunch, told Patty about the morning routine, and then we headed to the hospital. We arrived about 5:30, and once we were there, they put us in triage and the nurse hooked me up to see my contractions, and then we waited. None came for a long time, and I totally felt like a liar. But finally one did, and it was intense! The baby also didn't like it, his heart rate dropped a little. So she told me we were going to a room. I asked, "Does this mean I get to stay?" and she said yes. I was soooo happy, I was very afraid of being turned away. Once I was in the bed, I asked for the epidural, and we got the ball rolling. I had to get 2 IV sticks and 2 epidural sticks, but after that, I was feeling much better. Then the dr came and broke my water. At about 10:15 the nurse told us we could start working on getting him out. So they called over my doctor, and we worked on it. I pushed for about 15 minutes, which wasn't too bad, since he was faced the wrong way. Little Miss was too, but I had to push for 2.5 hours with her, so 15 minutes was great! At 10:45 our little one came out and greeted us. He was healthy, and perfect!

 

After a few hours we decided we should probably decide on the baby's name. Making that final decision is always hard for me. We finally decided on his name because all 4 of us really like it. We took a little longer trying to get the middle name figured out. But we did, and he got to have his daddy's name, since his daddy is one of the most amazing persons you'll ever know. After we decided on the name, Kenny went and picked the kids up from a friend's house. They came over to the hospital and met their little brother. Their smiles were priceless. They adore him and can't seem to get enough of him. They were able to hang out in the hospital for a few hours, then my sister got in town from Seattle, and after she held the baby, she took the kids home for the night. I'm so grateful that she was around to be with my kids and keep them happy. She took them out to several activities, and made dinner, and kept my house clean.

Little One wasn't very sleepy in the hospital. At one point the nurse took him out to do some tests. She brought him back saying he was totally sound asleep. After 3 minutes he woke up crying. I was so exhausted so I asked the nurse to take him for a bit. They don't have a nursery in the hospital, but she said she would keep him by her while she did some paperwork. He apparently fell asleep after a little while. I don't know what it was, but being near his parents, he couldn't stay asleep. That was the first stretch of sleep I had gotten since Tuesday evening, and it was only 2 hours. But since then, he's been a pretty good sleeper. One night he screamed for 4 hours. After trying to console him, I lost it. I couldn't handle another colicky baby like our other 2 babies were, plus I was sleep deprived. So I handed the baby off to Kenny, and went to bed. Luckily that was just one night since he's been born. Right now he sleeps anywhere from 3-5 hours. One night he did 7. That was heavenly! But the good thing about his night-time sleep, he will wake up, eat, and go right back to sleep. He seems to be good about just doing his wake time in the day. He also will sleep in his crib, which neither of his siblings would do for a long time. They had to have the bouncer or swing.

getting ready to head home

 

'

I love this outfit! Thanks to my sister for going all over Seattle to get it for me :)

 

Almost ready to leave

 

A few days after my sister left, my mom came to help out. She was able to help the kids get ready for school in the mornings, pick them up from the bus stop, she cooked, cleaned, packed, and ran errands. We even made it out to the store a few times together. (We even got pedicures one night, NO KIDS!). I'm so lucky she was here to help. And the kids enjoyed getting some adult attention from her. Once she left, I was very sad. I felt lonely. My sister had been here the first weekend, then Kenny stayed home from work for a week, and then my mom was her another week. After she left, I was on my own. I cried a little. But I'm starting to adjust. Plus Kenny's back from his trip and that was a big part of why I was sad. (I HATE when he's gone!)

This delivery was by far my best! I of course was sore, but could still function. I was able to walk around the hospital a little, I didn't pass out, and we only stayed over 1 night. He's also been a pretty easy baby compared to the other 2. He has pretty good neck control, and has been smiling for about a week. Each day I look at him and just say, he's perfect! I know there are lots of trying days ahead, but I am grateful for this new little spirit in our home. He's wonderful, and has brought so much love and joy already into our lives.

 

Recital

On Sunday we got to see all of Little Miss' hard work come together. She had her violin recital. I was trying to hold back my tears. I thought it was just silly hormones, but Kenny admitted he was fighting some back as well. So we are just some big softies :)

You can't tell in the video, but she made it look too easy. She kept looking around as she was playing. Kenny and I thought she would mess up and forget where she was. But she had everything memorized and was like "I got this" and checked out the crowd while she played. It was funny :)

Little Miss has breezed through her Level 1 book, and has amazed many of us. I think she's very talented, but then again, I'm her mom and definitely biased. But I had several people tell me how shocked they were to hear her play. They thought she would do more simple songs than she performed, and kind of muddle through them. She was complimented on her tone, and was told she seems to have a natural talent. I'm very excited for her, and can't wait to see her progress over the next couple years. She has only been playing since September, and the first month, was challenging enough just to learn how to hold the instrument properly. Actually, that first month I think Kenny was worried. I was trying to help her, but several times we both were crying from frustration. It got better after that though. Her teacher is amazing, kind and fun, and we know that lots of her success is because of her awesome teacher. We will be sad to leave her behind, and hope to find someone half as talented as her in Boise.

the whole group

 

her lovely teacher

some of her cute friends

The other thing I want to mention, is how proud I was of the princess. She was throwing up on Saturday night, and was still feeling queasy all of Sunday. But she pushed through, even with all her nerves, and still went to her performance. (I was going to be really sad if we didn't get to see her perform). The other thing I thought was very sweet, she had a hard time when her teacher first mentioned that the recital would be on a Sunday. We had lots of discussion about whether it was an ok thing to do on the Sabbath. She ended up praying about it for herself and felt that it was ok. But I love that she thinks about these things, and tries to be obedient to the commandments. I'm not sure how I was blessed with such a sweet daughter. She truly is amazing!

Dates with Daddy

My kids LOVE going on dates with Daddy. They haven't been for awhile, and so before the baby came Kenny wanted to get one in with each of them. Unfortunately I have no pictures of the boys' date. Last Saturday, they went to McDonalds for lunch and played in the play area. Then went to Barnes and Noble and chose a treat from the Café. Something lil man has been dying to do for awhile. He gets theses ideas and can't let them go, which is kind of amusing. They also played video games on the iphone while they were out, which makes his day. He is addicted and we have to be very careful about how much screen time he gets.

Then on this past Saturday, daddy took lil miss out. She kept changing her mind on what to do, up until they went out. Anyway, they loaded their bikes on the car, went to Taco Bell, and ate that in the car on the way to the park. Then they parked, and rode their bikes to Big Dipper Ice Cream. And since that was quick and easy, they decided to go a little further. They ended up riding all the way to the "M" mountain, and since they were there, decided to hike it. It was super windy at the top, but they made it. Then they rode all the way back to the car, and came home exhausted (Daddy's hurting today)! Poor little thing though, started having tummy pains part way through the date, but didn't want to say anything to cut the date short. She ended up having a 24 hour bug that got passed through our home.

 

Our house

 

 We are so excited on the progress of our house. This week it was fully insulated. I can't believe how fast it's moving along, and soon we will be living in Boise. We feel so blessed that we are able to make the move down there, and to have such a beautiful, new and spacious home. The kids have already made plans for how their bedrooms are going to be decorated. Kenny and I are just so excited to have a room again (and not be sleeping in an unfinished basement that has no door or bathroom). We all are excited about the neighborhood, we have a pool, a few parks, and lots of kids.

My birthday

My birthday started on Saturday... with me getting to sleep in and NOT have to go clean the church. Kenny took the kids and I got to rest, which was awesome. And then they surprised me with these beauties! I love them, and feel so special. Then Kenny took lil man on a date, and I relaxed while lil miss watched some tv. Then later we went out to eat at Red Robin. It was a very easy and relaxing day.

he's drinking what's left of my free sundae :)

 

The next day I woke up WAY to early... 4:30, to use the bathroom. I couldn't go back to sleep, and it didn't help that there was a bird outside my window who was ready to be awake for the day and singing it's little heart out. Just as I was starting to doze off again (around 6:30), lil man needed me to wipe him cuz he was having some tummy problems. Not fun. Especially since the smell of toots, and dirty diapers has been the one thing to consistently make me nauseous this whole pregnancy. We finished that up, and I sent him back to bed. But then 2 seconds later, sister was up using the potty, and then they decided to goof off in their bedroom. I kept begging them to go back to sleep, but they wouldn't listen. I pretty much burst into tears. I couldn't believe this is how I was going to start my day. But after that things looked better. They came into my room with daddy a little later and gave me my present (a kindle! which will be great for night time feedings, and not keeping the light on when Kenny's trying to sleep). We slowly got ready for church (we may have missed the 1st hour). Then little miss played her violin in primary, which I absolutely loved. After church I was able to come home and get a nap in. Which was much needed! I was so much more pleasant to be around afterwards, I'm sure. Then we just hung out as a family, and watched the winter storm we were getting. That was a first for me, to have snow on my birthday! It was pretty neat. Kenny and the kids worked on dinner for me. I was very impressed.... they made Café Rio! Kenny is becoming quite the chef these days. They also made Oreo Pudding, and put all 29 candles on it, which I managed to blow out in one breath! Kody asked me what my wish was (we haven't taught them the you don't tell or it won't come true thing). I told him I wished that Kenny would love me for another year. He laughed and said, of course he's going to do that. I guess he thinks I wasted a wish. My day finished off with a surprise song on the violin, Happy Birthday... she had been keeping it a secret for a few weeks. (youtube and me are still fighting, so I can't get that video to upload. sorry.) It was a fantastic birthday, and this was just what the kids and Kenny did for me. I got lots of texts, phone calls, cards, and gifts. I truly felt blessed and loved by everyone in my life.

 

 

 

Violin

One of the sweetest things happened yesterday. Little Miss played in primary and it was beautiful. She was so adorable, and was a little nervous, but did fantastic! I had several people tell me how they felt the Spirit from her 1 minute little song. It was simple, but still so cool. I love her. And I love that she has fallen in love with this beautiful instrument. I also love Kenny for making it possible for her to take lessons. I love that she has a talent and can have confidence in herself because she can do something. I also love the Spirit that comes into our home because of it.

*The video isn't the greatest... I'm a little far back, and youtube wouldn't let me edit at all. It took forever just to get it to upload to their website (I got pretty frustrated). But you can pretend it's an awesome video :) the important thing to me is that I got it documented.

this was taken right before church, we spent some time curling her hair for the day

WARNING: long catch up post

So for months now I've been wanting to post and catch up on the blog with individual posts and pictures for each event. But since that hasn't happened yet, and I'm pretty sure it won't, I'm going to just catch up on this post, and then try to move forward from here.

Our lives have been pretty busy/crazy. Last week watching General Conference, Elder Uchtdorf spoke, and it made me feel happy because, although I feel stressed at times, it's not sadness necessarily... it's just chaos. Our lives our really good right now. Of course they aren't perfect and there are things that are not so happy, but overall, we are really blessed: We have a job that supports us, and Kenny enjoys. We are in the process of building a home, the kids are healthy and happy, we get a new baby to join our family soon, we have awesome friends here in Montana, and we have family that supports us. So... Here's a little bit of what we've been up to the last 6 months:

So last I posted was October... we went to conference in Salt Lake because Little Miss had requested to go to a session, now that she's 8. We had a great weekend with my high school friend and her adorable little family. Our boys got along well. And my kids loved playing in her yard, with her garden, apple orchard, chickens, dog, and trampoline! Also Kenny's sister was able to meet up with us and hang for Saturday and Sunday. It was great to be with her since she was going to study abroad in London for a few months. We also told family in the beginning of the month that we are expecting another baby into our family. And for Halloween I dressed up as a skeleton with a baby skeleton in my belly to tell our friends that I was expecting. So the secret was out! We shocked quite a few people! We had a ward trunk or treat, and then on the actual holiday we had our friends over for some yummy food and then we went out as a group to get some candy. Kenny and our kids ended up ditching the group because they were so fast and anxious to get as much candy as they could. (Which by the way.... it's almost 6 months later and they still have some Halloween candy. I think it's about time we throw it out!) And we also took new family pictures this month, before my belly started showing too much.

A bat, and a witch for Halloween

They are pretty good to eachother

so cute!

family picture

handsome little man

 

November... Little Miss was in the YMCA basketball program, so she had a practice and game each week. We enjoyed watching her progress and have a blast. Daddy was especially proud, since that's his sport. Kenny and I also participated in the local community volleyball league with some friends. We had a great time! I went to the doctor and found out we were having a boy (Daddy was right!) Thanksgiving came around, we were supposed to have friends over, but there was too much sickness going on in our home. We seemed to catch a lot of yuckiness this winter season and it started this month. I actually stayed pretty healthy, luckily. The Lord blessed me and the baby!!! I only had one horrible cold that lasted a week, and that's all. The rest of the family got influenza (and little man got it a few times)... along with other junk.

December.... We did Chirstmasy stuff. Went to the parade and lighting of the town tree (to be honest though, we were really disappointed. We are hoping Boise will have a little more spirit.) We went into the forest and cut down our tree. Everyone was super happy this year, which was great! The only thing is, I got pretty winded trying to walk up the side of the mountain in snow... darn pregnancy :) The kids both had school parties, and Christmas performances. Poor little man's crown fell apart during his performance and he started crying. Luckily I got his teacher's attention and she fixed it quickly and he was happy again. He even had a speaking part, and did it!!! That's big for him. He's terrified of people (like me) and hates public speaking. Christmas Eve we spent at a friends house. Yummy food, and games, and the kids ran around bare foot in the snow outside. Christmas day was very low key and wonderful! We opened presents and lounged around the house all day. The kids trashed the house with all their new toys and wrapping paper and packaging. But they had a great day, and got lots of fun new things.

she fell down in the snow

getting ready to ride

 

Elfie left a note for the kids, written in M&M's

Little Miss on stage for her Christmas program

Christmas morning....She was in heaven with her new doll

January... New Year's Eve we spent at home (sick again), and I think we rang in the new year at 8:30-ish.  We let the kids stay out of school a couple days, and then headed to Boise. We house hunted one day, and then Kenny and I did a quick trip to Sun Valley just the 2 of us. Grandma Lexie flew up and watched the munchkins for the weekend. It was a much needed break. Then we headed back to Boise. Kenny worked lots throughout the week, while the kids and I swam. We looked at a few more houses. Got snowed in by a crazy winter storm, which actually gave us a little more time to decide on a house. Then we were able to make a decision and moved forward on a new construction home.  We signed the contract, and then headed home to Montana. We got snowed on more, so we stopped in Idaho Falls for the night and rested before we finished the journey. The roads are pretty treacherous during the winter around here:( When we came back, Little Man went to a speech therapist, and was evaluated, and we started going weekly to work on his "S" sound. It's not a big concern, but I thought we could start working on it now before he gets much older.

party time on new year's eve

silly boys

standing on our snow covered lot... in June there will be a house here!!!

 

February... Kenny flew to Chicago for work the first week. Little Man attempted swim lessons, but ended up being sick most of the time, so he didn't learn much. We went back to Boise...Kenny got pulled over 2 times for speeding, and we had to stop every 2 hours because I had injured myself in volleyball and needed to stretch. It was a long but comical car trip. Kenny had work stuff during the week, so the kids and I swam and went to the zoo. We also checked out our new ward. Then we had to pick out stuff for our house. We got to choose everything, like carpet, cupboards, countertops, door knobs, lighting fixtures. It was lots of fun, and also a relief once it was over. We made it home safely, no thanks to the winter storm that dumped on us in the middle of the mountains. I was pretty scared... it's a two lane highway with the mountain on one side, and a drop off to the river on the other side. There are no towns and no cell reception for a few hours. Not the best situation. Plus Little Miss got sick and was having problems. I declared this my last road trip till after the baby gets here! When we came back, Little Miss had to have her tooth pulled. We had been working on it for a couple months, and at that point it was lodged in their because her other tooth had fully grown in. She's cursed with this. I think it's the 3rd time we've done this. And she's only lost a couple on her own. But she was a trooper. She had a milkshake (with a spoon) and went back to school within an hour.

March... Little Miss fund raised for the American Heart Association and did Jump Rope for Heart. She had a great time doing this, and participating in the school event. She even was one of the top earners for her school. That same day I had some wonderful friends throw me a baby shower. It was combined with one of my good friends who is also having a boy. It was so fun to be with my girlfriends and just talk and eat yummy treats, and open cute baby things. We applied, and then found out the kids were selected to attend one of the specialty schools in Boise for the fall, YEAH! Kenny went back to Chicago for work stuff. My mom and stepdad came to visit, on their way to South Dakota, where my stepdad took a new job. The kids were so excited because we haven't had visitors in a long time. My mom froze the entire weekend she was here, and the snow didn't help. But while they were here, we got to celebrate my stepdad's birthday, Little Man had his friend birthday party, we did St. Patrick's day stuff, and decorated Easter eggs. We crammed as much as we could in. Then Kenny flew back to Chicago for a few days. And when he came home we got to Skype with family, and see his sister (who was in London), open her mission call. And of course we celebrated Easter with an egg hunt, and baskets.

Jump Rope for Heart event

baby shower... the 2 pregos and the 2 hosts

 

batman! (this was a picture taken for his party invites)

 

the super party crew... we had it at a gymnastics center, so I didn't have to deal with the mess or entertainment

 

 

April.... kids had spring break last week. Kenny was in Boise so we didn't have much going on. I tried to do a craft or science experiment with the kids each day. We went to the park a few times for playdates. I helped a friend paint her baby's nursery, and so her husband took her kids and my kids to the local children's museum, carousel, and mcdonald's. When I asked the kids their favorite part of spring break... it was that day. The day mommy wasn't around and some other dad took them to do fun stuff :) Kenny and I squeezed in a date on Saturday. It was nice, but we just went to dinner and then we were both too pooped to do anything else, so we came home and he watched basketball while I snuggled with him and took a nap. The next day we watched conference and took it easy, and then sent Kenny off again to Chicago on Monday morning.

Now here we are... middle of April. I'm due in 3 weeks. My husband is out of town :( And has traveled WAY too much for my liking recently, and the kids'. (a few tears have been shed over this.)We have 1/3 of our house packed up and ready to move. We are trying to figure out the rest of the baby stuff we need. We are sort of prepared, but I wish I was more. It's hard to be, when you know you'll be moving a month after you give birth and don't really have a place for the new one. But we are making it work. The kids are feeling a little neglected at this point I'm sure because I have no energy for them. They ask me too come look at something in their rooms, and I don't even have the energy for that sometimes. My "best" some days is that I got them to school, packed a lunch, and picked them up on time. If I can remember to have Little Miss practice violin, and Little Man to work on his speech then we are doing great. If I make a real dinner.... woah! that's an amazing day!!! It's a good thing they both can bathe themselves or that might not get done :)

The pregnancy has been pretty good. No complications. The kids love to feel him move in my belly and laugh when he kicks real hard. They kiss him every day and say "bye baby" when they head off to school each morning. They also tell him "goodnight baby" after prayers each night. He is definitely loved! I was, and still am nervous, about the huge gap between kids, but can see positive things as well. Both his siblings are going to take care of him whenever he needs help. They will love on him and gladly take care of him. Little Miss has already requested to have him sleep in her room so that she can take care of him through the night. Little Man has plans to play balls, and cars with him, and just hold him. Also, during the day, the kids will be off at school, and I'll just have the baby at home, so it will be like a first child again for a few hours, and not a whole bunch of wild monkeys running around. But trust me, I'm scared too. We have to do the sleepless nights again, my babies are always colicky so lots and lots of crying, DIAPERS (yuck!), then potty training, constant attention, dressing him for the day, even buckling a seatbelt again. My kids are pretty self sufficient at this point in their lives. They bathe, dress, feed, read, and play all by themselves. I'm only here at this point to make sure they don't burn the house down, and to drive them places. And really, they don't get into much trouble, so it's really just the car thing :) We are at a fun stage in life, and pretty comfortable in it too. This baby is going to rock our world. But we will adjust, and hopefully it won't take too long. We are very excited for him though.

First Snow

We got our first snow of the season. It wasn't much, but the kids were very excited to see a change in the seasons. They got out their snow boots and coats, and ran outside to play in the flurries. We love living somewhere so beautiful, and also having a place that has all 4 seasons. It's exciting to look for the signs of the new season that is approaching. And when you are starting to get tired of a certain type of weather, a new kind will come along shortly. I also love that my kids get to gear up for school in the winter, and they also get to sled and build snowmen during recess. It's something I didn't get as a child, and I think it's fun for them. Although, they won't get too much snow in our new home, but that makes Dadddy happy :)