Whirlwind Weekends

We've had so much fun these last few weeks with family coming here to visit, and then a couple trips out of town for us.

We've been busy playing at the park...


Getting haircuts ...


Graduating from preschool ...


Playing on the beach in San Diego ...



Collecting seashells ...


Attending the blessing of my sister's baby (who was born one day before our little Mini Man) ...


Surprising Grandma Darlin' with a party to celebrate her retirement after 26 years of teaching elementry school (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures!).

More playing at parks ...


Taking family pictures (I'll post them when I get them).

Visiting Great Grandad ...


Watching Mini Man grow up (He is FINALLY smiling at us!) ...


And despite the hours and hours we've spent in the car going from San Diego to Salt Lake and back, we've just been having TONS and TONS of fun!!!

Sunshine and Summertime

Summer has officially hit us here in the desert. We're lucky if we get a day now that dips back into the upper 80's. Looks like he 90's are here to stay until we hit triple digits. Thank goodness the really hot temps only last a couple of months. On the bright side, along with the high temperatures come the best part of summer ... water fun! Last year I shopped the "end of summer" clearance at Target and got some great deals on water toys and camping gear. I picked up a Finding Nemo slip-n-slide for just $2! The girls had a great time running through the sprinklers and sliding across the lawn. Our backyard was almost entirely flooded by the time we were done playing. But with the sun and the heat, I knew the water would evaporate quickly enough that it wouldn't cause any damage.

(The Man had as much fun - if not more - than the girls did!)

I made some signs for the garden so we can tell which plant is which; but as you can see (or not), the squash and canteloupe didn't make it. :( I'm not quite sure what I did wrong. Not enough water? Too much? Too much sun? Who knows, but I"m thrilled about the tomatoes and strawberries and carrots. They're doing great.




The girls and The Man had a campout last weekend in our backyard. (Another great find from last years' clearance (a four-person tent for just $14!). I had the house to myself -- well, just me and the little man. We stayed inside popping popcorn and baking cookies to bring to the campers. The girls would cheer each time I came out with a new treat or snack. They brought the portable DVD player and watched a movie. And to my great surprise, they lasted all night! I thought for sure someone would be back in the house before sunrise. When they came inside in the morning, we had pancakes for breakfast and The Man took off to play some basketball. What a fun Daddy/Daughter outing!

Miss Priss' preschool class had a Mother's Day Tea Party on Friday for the kids and their moms. It was so much fun to be in the classroom with her. They made gifts for us (hand towels with their handprints on them), drew pictures of us, sang a song for us, and played a game where the kids answered questions about their moms, and we had to guess which mom it was. It was so funny to hear the kids' answers to questions like, "How old is your mom?" Our ages ranged from 4 to 90.

And, as promised, here are a couple pictures of our Little Man. He's growing so fast! At his appointment at 4 weeks old, he had already gained two pounds! What a porker! He is just the cutest little baby ever, and I am so completely in love with him. He's my worst sleeper of all the kids, but that won't last forever. It's hard getting only 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night. His schedule is just turned around. Not to worry, I have a plan to switch it. It's worked for the girls, and it will work for him. I'm determined to make it work for him.

It's Ice Cream ... Brilliant!

If you'll recall, it wasn't too long ago when Miss Priss surprised us by preparing a breakfast of frozen waffles all by herself. Now it seems that if I haven't left something out for the girls to eat in the morning (sometimes I leave a couple baggies of cereal for them to snack on until I get my butt out of bed), I'll come down to find that these two have managed to raid the refrigerator and pantry in search of their own "breakfast."

That's exactly what happened the other morning when I dragged myself into the kitchen, eyes only half open. There she was, sitting at the kitchen table, eating a waffle.

"Looks like you're really enjoying that waffle, Miss Priss."

"I am." Big smile.

"Wait a minute. What's on your waffle?"

"Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

"Yeah. I just thought, 'What if I try some ice cream on my waffle? I wonder if it's good.' And so I just got some ice cream, and guess what, mom, it is!"

Silence.

"It really is, mom."

"Yeah, I'll bet it is."

4 Things About Me

4 jobs I have had in my life:
1. Chuck E. at Chuck E. Cheese's (That's right, I was the mouse. But don't worry, I worked my way up that corporate ladder until I was a birthday hostess - woohoo!!)
2. Loan Rep at First California Mortgage (A very helpful experience when it came time to buy our first home)
3. Court Reporter
4. Mom

4 movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Phantom of the Opera
2. Moulin Rouge
3. Count of Monte Cristo
4. A Knight's Tale

4 places I have lived:
1. San Diego, CA
2. Provo, Bluffdale and Layton, UT
3. Draper and Sandy, UT
4. Las Vegas, NV

4 television shows I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. 24
3. LOST (and I can't stand that I can't give it up!!! I'm SOOO irritated by that show!!!)
4. Whatever The Man is watching when I don't have anything to do or just want to be with him.

4 places I have gone on vacation:
1. Hawaii (Maui and Oahu)
2. Lisbon, Portugal
3. Disneyland
4. Chicago

4 websites I visit almost daily:
1. Blogs
2. Ebay
3. Oprah.com (not really daily, but I can't think of any!)
4. that's it for me

4 of my favorite foods:
1. any Mexican food
2. avocados
3. ice cream
4. rasberry zingers

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. On vacation
2. Visiting family
3. Sleeping
4. On a date with The Man (no kids allowed!)

4 people who I tag:
1. Kendi (I know you've done this before, but do it again anyway)
2. Mel
3. Amy A.
4. Amy H. (I don't know you're new last name!)

Spitting Image

Looking more and more like Daddy every day.

Happy Easter!

I know, I'm a couple days behind, but I have an excuse; right? Easter seemed to come out of nowhere this year, since we were so busy with the Little Man. I had to make a last minute shopping trip for goodies for Easter baskets on Friday. I hate doing things last minute. Saturday morning The Man took the girls to the ward Easter egg hunt. I made sure to send him with the camera so I could see a little of what was going on. Looks like everyone had a great time.


We spent most of the day on Saturday outside in the backyard. The Man did a lot of yardwork, and we finally got started on our garden. It's a little late to be planting now, but we've been told that with the great weather we're having, we'll still get plenty of growth and fruits and veggies out of this season. We don't have a ton of room, but we were able to get in strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, spaghetti squash and cucumbers (just a couple plants of each). This is our first garden, so we really don't know what to expect, but I'm just hoping I can keep it all alive. We'll have to wait and see.


Sunday morning was a little tricky, since the Easter bunny usually leaves our baskets out for us to see first thing in the morning. This year, however, he must have realized that our girls would be up before us, and would have devoured the entire contents of each basket before we ever made it out of bed, so he left them in our room instead. When I got up with the baby, I brought the baskets downstairs for everyone to see. We had breakfast; the girls got to pick and eat one piece of candy, and then it was off to the bathtub to get ready for church. I wasn't going to take the baby, so The Man had to go it alone with both the girls. They looked so beautiful in their Easter dresses.


They seem so grown up to me now that we have a new infant in the house. Especially Miss Priss. She is such a good helper. She loves holding her brother for me if I have to take care of something, and she's forever up and down the stairs fetching me something that I've forgotten to bring down. I hardly ever hear a word of complaint. I think it makes her feel important and needed when she's helping out so much. She even helps to take care of Devil Child when she's feeling a little left out and throwing a fit that I'm nursing and can't get to her right away. Devil Child likes to hold him ... for about three seconds before pulling her hands out from under him and announcing, "I'm done!"

After church we did an Easter egg hunt in our own backyard. The eggs were empty, but the girls have such fun collecting them all and then hiding them again and recollecting. It was such a nice day, it was great to be outside.


We had Easter dinner with some friends of ours that invited us to their house. K and E were out of town four-wheeling, and it was nice to spend the holiday with good friends. We watched Happy Feet, which was a gift the Easter Bunny left for the girls, and then it was time to go home and get everyone in bed.

Holidays like Easter are so much fun with little ones in the house, but it's also important to remember why we celebrate this special day. I am so incredibly grateful for the atonement and it's power in my life. The miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us all the opportunity to be with our families forever. There is no greater gift we can have. My family means the world to me, and I'm thankful to know that we are not a temporary unit. I love the gospel, I love my Savior for the sacrifice he made for me, and I love my Father in Heaven for granting me my companion, my best friend in the world, and our beautiful children.

I hope you all had a fabulous Easter Sunday, and I wish you all some peaceful, quiet time out of your day to just be grateful for all you've been blessed with.

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures from the hospital. They were all taken the day we were coming home.

The girls just love their new baby brother.

Sorry for the sideways shot. I LOVE this outfit on him!!!
He's so tiny in his big car seat.

Miss Priss thought being in the hospital bed was so much fun!

He loves his plug! Yeah for not sucking fingers (like Devil Child)!!!

Doesn't he look comfy?

Man, how the time flies! I can't believe we've been home for over a week. Things are going great. Lots of sleeping, eating and pooping, just like we expected. We've been back to the doctor for a check up and second PKU screening, and everything's fine. He's such a good baby, and we're all loving every minute with him. Can't wait for all the family to meet him in person.

The Saga Continues ...

Okay, where were we? Oh, yes. Baby is here, haven't seen him. Sidenote: There were no pictures attached to yesterday's blog because at that point in the story, I hadn't even seen him yet. What makes you think you were going to get to? Anyway, get ready. This is where it gets good...

I looked up at The Man and cried. "He's not breathing, is he?"

"He'll be just fine. He's fine."

"No, he's not! He's not breathing!"

That was the longest 2 - 3 minutes of my life. And then we heard it. One little, tiny newborn baby cry. The sweetest sound I've ever heard. And I cried some more. A couple more minutes of waiting while they cleaned him up, and then there he was, being placed in my arms with all the nurses reassuring me. "Here he is, mom! He's beautiful!"

I held him for what seemed like only seconds before he was gone again. They were taking him into the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). They let us know where and why they were going (he scored a 1 on the APGAR test), and asked if Daddy wanted to go, too. He immediately turned to me. "Do you want me to go with him or stay with you?"

"I want you with me." Then a second thought. "No, go with him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go with him. I want you to see what's happening. And I want you to tell me everything. Go and make sure he's okay."

"All right. I'll be back soon and let you know how he's doing."

Hugs and kisses and then they were gone. So much of the mid-morning and afternoon is a blur to me, I don't even know how long he was gone. But eventually he was back, and with pictures and video. We looked and watched together and talked about how good he looked, and how he looked like our Devil Child. The nurse told me I could go visit him as soon as I was up and feeling better. I got up to go to the bathroom, but knew I wasn't up for walking around the halls. But I wasn't waiting. We asked for a wheelchair so I could go see him.

And there he was, lying in his little bed in just a diaper with his little heater on, sleeping away. He was a doll. We were told we couldn't hold him, but we could touch him. He was having trouble keeping his temperature up, so he needed to stay under the heater. And they were waiting to hear from the doctor whether we would be bottle feeding him or feeding him through an IV. I was surprised to hear that he wasn't given anything to eat yet. It was somewhere around 1:00 in the afternoon already. We stayed by his side, took more pictures, and talked to his nurse about how they were going to care for him. I got sick and threw up in the trash can there, and we decided it was time for me to get back to bed. We would visit again later.

After some rest and a couple more visits, we were told he was having trouble keeping anything down. The doctor approved bottle feeding, but there were two failed attempts before they finally got him to keep it down. And then we were told we could come back at 8:00 that night and feed him ourselves. I wasn't allowed to nurse, but I was able to bottle feed him myself. He's a sleepy little guy, but we were able to get his bottle down and hold him for a few minutes before we had to put him back in his incubator. One more feeding at 11:00, and then I went to bed.

I felt great in the morning. A little sore, mostly my back (arrgg), but I was feeling better than I had after my two previous deliveries. I was even skipping pain meds. It felt too good to finally be alert and awake. Then I started pumping so I could get my milk in, and those uterus contractions started. Wow! Is it just me, or do those things intensify with each baby? I asked for some pain meds. After what I went through yesterday, I certainly didn't want to feel any more contractions. That day went by much like the day before; feedings and visits every three hours, with lots of phone calls and a few personal visits in between. We were constantly waiting to hear news of his release from the NICU into my recovery room. They updated us about every 4 -6 hours, and each time it was the same news. They felt they needed to watch him a little longer.

Another doctor from my doctor's office stopped by to check on me that evening, and I told him I was doing great. I felt great, the baby was doing good, all is well. He told me I was good to go home if I wanted to, but that they didn't feel it was right to send moms home without their babies, so if I wanted to stay with him, they would approve my stay for as long as the baby had to be here. As much as I would have loved to be in my own bed and at home with my family, I wasn't about to leave him there. So we stayed. Earlier on we had hopes of going home Friday morning, but as Thursday slipped away, we realized he was going to need to be released from the NICU into my recovery room first, and then, after some time, he would be released to go home. Friday wasn't looking too promising anymore.

And then I got the fabulous phone call from his nurse at about 11:00 pm Thursday night. The pediatrician had stopped by again and reviewed everything, and approved his release into my room that night, if I wanted. If I wanted? Of course I wanted!!! I'm now wondering if they seriously ever have moms go through that and then say, "Oh, no, that's okay. You can keep him for the night. I"ll get him in the morning." I cleaned up my room like I was expecting a guest I wanted to impress, and I sat in my bed anxiously awaiting his arrival. I called The Man and my parents to let them know the good news, and that we would be coming home in the morning.

By 11:15 I was getting more and more anxious, and I paged the nurse. "Hi. I was told they were brining in my baby to me tonight. Why aren't they here yet?"

"I'm not sure, let me check. Oh, wait. Here they are. They'll be in in just one minute."

Yeah! He was coming! And then the door opened, and they wheeled him in. After they left, I held him and watched him sleep. I nursed him for the first time (he did great!), and I watched him sleep some more. He was beautiful. He was perfect. And he was mine for keeps. I was completely and perfectly happy. He slept on a pillow and in my arms all night. He only fussed when I wasn't touching him. He definitely knows when I'm there and when I'm not. And I love it.

In the morning The Man brought the girls by to see their new baby brother for the first time. They were so cute with him. They both just love him to death. And they get so excited when he does anything. Any noise, a quick smile, a little squirm, and they giggle and say, "Did you see that, mom? He likes me!" We spent the day taking turns holding him and waiting around for the doctors to let us leave. At around 4:00 we were being wheeled out of there and into the car for our first ride as a family of five. Miss Priss now sits in the very back seat (which she loves and thinks is a major priviledge), while our Devil Child sits behind the passenger seat in the middle row and the baby behind the driver. I know, he's supposed to be in the middle, but we figured seating him right next to Devil Child would put him in more bodily danger than a side seat.

Twenty minutes later, we were home, safe and sound. Back to real life, but a new life for me, as a mother of three. How grateful I am that my Heavenly Father entrusts me with the care of these little ones, so perfect and fragile. Gosh, I hope I don't ruin him.

THE END

(No, we didnt' cut her hair, it's just tucked back so it doesn't get him in the face.)

(Grandma loves the babies!)

The BIG Adventure of our Little Man

It was Tuesday night, and we had gone over to my sister's house for dinner and to drop the girls off for a sleepover. We ate, we visited, we caught up on a little '24,' and then it was time. We were scheduled to arrive at the hospital at midnight, in plenty of time for a 6:00 am induction in the morning. It was all old school for us; we had done it this way twice before. Change out of clothes ("don't forget to leave us a specimin!"), fill out paperwork, answer a billion questions, give blood, get hooked up to the fetal monitor, IV in the arm, Cervidil in the -- you know where. We were old pros. About a half an hour into the questions from the nurse I asked, "What do other people do? I mean, girls who come in here unannounced, ready to have the baby right then, when do they answer all these questions?"

"Oh, they don't. Theirs is a lot shorter."

So I think, "Why the heck do I have to, then?" Whatever. Just finish up.

We're done by about 1:00 am, and the Cervidil is kicking in. Contractions have started. But I've been feeling those for weeks now, so it's no big whoop. It has to stay in for four hours before they can take it out, then, if I've dilated, I can get my epidural and we can get started. So we've got some time to kill, and we decide we'd better try to get some sleep. And I decide the contractions are not bad right now, but if I can't get to sleep, then I'll ask for some pain medication. I've never been one to deal with pain well. One hour goes by, then two. Man, am I still awake? Is it the bit of pain or maybe just the anxiousness keeping me from my last few precious z's? Either way, I'd better get something and put myself out of my misery so that I'm not completely exhausted in the morning. I page the nurse, and a moment later she shows up with a needle full of some narcotic. Smile. She inserts it into my IV, and it only takes a few seconds. She asks if I can feel it, and I can only nod. Feels too good to talk right now.

"Let me know if that's not enough because I only gave you half a dose. I'll come back and check on you in a few minutes and you can let me know if you want the rest."

She did come back to check, but I only vaguely remember her in the room. She asked if I needed any more, and I mumbled something that must have let her know I was just fine because she left. A couple more check-ups, and it was time to take out the Cervidil. I made sure she knew that my doctor lets me have my epidural when I'm at a 3. He's always done so, and I wanted it this time as soon as I was at a 3. She checked. Almost there, but not yet.

But then the glorious hour of 5:30 came, and I was ready. She called for the anesthesiologist to come to administer the blessed epidural. Ah, my peace of mind that I can really get through this. I'm a true believer that Heavenly Father made drugs for a reason: Childbirth. With some help I sat up on the side of the bed, leaned over as far as I could, hung my head down, relaxed my shoulders, and let the nurse pull my body in half even further as he put the needle in. I could feel it, which I didn't like much, but I just sat there, frozen with the fear that we all have: If I move a single muscle, there's a chance I could be paralyzed. No moving.

It seemed to be taking a long time. I feel the needle over and over and I'm thinking, "What in the world is he doing back there? Why is it taking this long? Why do I keep feeling it?" They're asking me if I was a gymnast or athelete. What the? I'm like, "Yeah, in high school." What does that have to do with this? I can hear them talking about how my spine is compacted, and he's having trouble finding space between my vertebrae. He keeps having to try somewhere else. This is not working. Change positions. I look up at The Man as they lay me down on my side and tell me to curl up as tight as I can into a ball. Tears start streaming down my face because they won't let him come hold my hand. But still I'm thinking, "No crying, you'll move. Movement means paralysis. No moving." The tears don't stop. He's still not getting it. "Is this worth it? Maybe I should just tell him to forget it. This is awful! No, wait. What am I thinking? Am I crazy? Of course it's worth it. Just sit here until he gets it. It will all be fine."

After four attempts, he finally finds a spot where he tapes the needle in place. Then he leaves for a c-section he's doing. The nurse helps me back to a sitting position, and I try to get comfortable once more in this terrible bed. "How's that? Are you feeling that contraction?"

"Yes."

"Are you feeling it any less than you were before?"

"No."

"All right."

"Is it supposed to take a few minutes to kick in?"

"Sometimes."

"Ok." I wait and suffer through more contractions. They're getting harder and stronger.

"I'm still feeling it." Huff, puff. "I'm feeling everything." Huff, puff. "They're really hurting." Huff, huff, puff, puff. "It's not working!"

"Ok. We'll get him back in here to fix it."

All right. Everything is ok. He's coming back to fix it. I'll be fine.

Long story short (too late, I know), I had my first natural childbirth. That's right, me, Miss Ouch-I-Stubbed-My-Toe-Give-Me-Something-For-The-Pain. Never in a million years did I EVER think I was going to experience that. And it was just like in the movies. Within minutes I had transformed into this moaning, screaming maniac of a woman. Right before it hit me, The Man was sent out of the room for ice chips. As he walked down the hall and heard a scream, he thought, "Man, I hope The Woman doesn't hear that lady." That lady was me. I'll spare the details of exactly how excrutiating it was, but sufficeth to say that even with my best recovery yet, I'd still choose the drugs.

Thankfully I don't have 9-pound babies, so it only took three contractions (which were strangely all blended into one), and he was here. And I cried. Funny thing is, when it was over, I wasn't crying out of pain anymore. I actually don't even remember how much or even whether it hurt at all anymore. I could not stop myself from crying because I was SO upset that I had just had a natural childbirth, and I didn't want one. I didn't choose it, I wasn't prepared for it, and so I bawled. Every time someone said something to me, all I could say was, "IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY!!!" I can laugh now, but at the time I just could NOT get over it.

But somehow I did it. I made it through alive (just barely, mind you), and now it was time to focus on the baby. And then it hit me. The Man didn't cut the cord. He has ALWAYS cut the cord. Why didn't he cut the cord? And they didn't bring the baby up to me to see him. They ALWAYS bring my baby up to me to see them, even though they're messy and all icky, they've always let me see them and touch them and hold them before they're taken away. Something wasn't right, and I knew it.

Uggh, I'm needed "desperately" by the girls. Um, what I meant was, Stay tuned as I continue the saga of our new little man and his first big adventure ...