Friday, January 30, 2009
Four Kisses
Today Morgan was holding Brynn and as he cradled her head he let her body rest on his lap. With his free hand, he reached down and gently took her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. Then he did the same with her other hand and both feet. I don't think anyone but a mommy could know the worth of those four kisses from a sweet big brother to a lucky little sister!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
7 Days Old
I meant to post this yesterday, but it just didn't happen (I seem to be saying this about a lot of stuff lately - laundry, dishes, putting Chloe's dresser together, mopping the floors, taking a shower).
Yesterday was Brynn's 1 week birthday! It is all a little surreal still: I am a mother to 3 kids, I am not pregnant anymore - YAY, my little infant is growing bigger and getting more alert every day and it has already been a whole week with not nearly enough pictures to show for it! So yesterday, I dressed Brynn up in a clean outfit, made sure her bow was stuck to her head, and set up a little picture studio on my bed with some fabric I bought to make changing pad covers and some sheets for her bassinet. Here is our little Brynnie at 7 days old.
There isn't a whole lot to say about a 7 day old baby since life consists mostly of eat, poop, and sleep, but here is what I want to remember about her at one week. She is extremely alert for a newborn. She'll spend 30 minutes or so at a time with her eyes wide open, taking in the world! She loves to look intently at Morgan's, Seth's and my face. Just like Chloe, she smiled at me in the hospital and has done so many times since. Yesterday she laughed - two different times. I don't know what she thought was so funny, but she smiled and giggled audibly. So cute! She isn't quite sure what to think about Callie - she gets a quizical look on her face whenever Callie gets close enough to see. The noise and chaos of her older siblings doesn't bother her one bit - I guess she realized in the womb what she was getting into! Monday night, she only woke up once to eat - granted it took her an hour and a half and 2 diaper changes before she was "finished", but I felt like gold in the morning after all that sleep! Unfortunately, I think Monday night may have been a fluke because she has not done that well since! Today, as I was looking into her eyes, I realized that they are definitely blue - at least for now - beautiful deep blue! Most of all, it is so wierd to have a baby so small. I know she won't stay that way long now that she is on the "my mom makes ice cream" diet, so I am enjoying every second of it!Something About Brynnie
There is just something about little Brynnie that her siblings can't resist. Every morning, I wake up to Morgan whispering in my ear, "Mom, I want to come in your bed and lay by Brynnie." or the ever popular, "Can I hold Brynnie?" As soon as Chloe gets out of her crib, she, too, comes in my room, and asks, "Where's Brynnie?" Since I am usually feeding her in my bed, Chloe wants to come up and join us and, of course, hold Brynn.
The day we brought her home from the hospital, Morgan tried to pick her up out of the bassinet, and we all kind of freaked out, telling him how dangerous that could be for her...he hasn't attempted it since. What he has done is give her a binki when she cries, get the wipes and diapers for me, watch intently as she eats (which kind of wierds me out a little bit and really gives me empathy for cows), ask if he can go and give her a cookie too, gently sing primary songs to her in the car, let her borrow his stuffed animals, and hold her so sweetly - all by himself - as he rocks from side to side. Morgan loves his baby sister.
Chloe has been much more accomodating than I would have thought. She talks to Brynn in the sweetest "baby-ese" voice. Anytime Brynn is crying, Chloe goes right up to her and smiles as she says softly, "Issokay Brynn, shhh, don't worry, Issokay," over and over again. When Chloe is in her room "going down for a nap" and she hears Brynn cry, I hear an excited, "BRYNNIE!" from her room. Will naptime ever recover from this new baby thing? Chloe is constantly bringing a dolly to Brynn and putting it in her carseat/crib/face so she can "play" with it. She has also started asking for milk in "Brynnie's ba ba" so she can be just like her baby sister! It took her a few days to warm up and she still doesn't like seeing daddy hold Brynn, but I know that Chloe loves her baby sister too.
Goodbye Belly
Oh, pregnant belly, how I do not miss you at all! I love lying on my stomach to sleep, read, type and relax. I love being able to wipe the kitchen table without climbing up onto it so I can reach the middle. I love that I no longer have to pre-spot the midsection of every shirt before putting it in the washing machine. While my midsection is definitely not what I wish it was, I sure am glad you are gone! So, goodbye belly - I know I'll see you again, but until then, you will not be missed!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Small and Simple Things
Yesterday, Morgan gave his very first talk in primary (talk about bad timing!). Since there was no way I was missing my little boy's first talk but also no way I was taking Brynn to church, I snuck in the back of the primary room right when it was time for his talk. (I know it is RSV season - don't worry, I am being careful!) My Mom, John and Stephen came to support him and he was so excited to see everyone there to watch him.
The topic was I am a spirit child of Heavenly Father and Seth went up to help him. With absolutely no fear, Morgan held up the picture of him and Seth holding Brynn and a picture of Heavenly Father. He told how before his baby sister came to live with our family she lived with Heavenly Father. He told about how he looks like his dad and he also looks like Heavenly Father because he Heavenly Father made him in his image. I was in tears, of course, and it was such a sweet testimony of the plan of salvation. It was worth all of the effort to get there! I love the small and simple things!
The topic was I am a spirit child of Heavenly Father and Seth went up to help him. With absolutely no fear, Morgan held up the picture of him and Seth holding Brynn and a picture of Heavenly Father. He told how before his baby sister came to live with our family she lived with Heavenly Father. He told about how he looks like his dad and he also looks like Heavenly Father because he Heavenly Father made him in his image. I was in tears, of course, and it was such a sweet testimony of the plan of salvation. It was worth all of the effort to get there! I love the small and simple things!
The Details
I know I promised details and pictures in my last post, but it has taken me longer than I expected to get everything recorded, so here they are. Feel free to just look at the pictures - my record keeping tends to be very detailed which can often translate to boring or TMI. :)
My labor with her was pretty long and boring. Despite lots of Pitocin and my water being broken, I was only dialating about a cm an hour. At 2:00 I was at 4 cm. and by 5:30 pm, I was only to a 6, so the nurse said she would check me again at 6:30. I was feeling some pain on my right side, so the anesthesiologist gave me a boost in my epidural, and shortly after, Morgan pushed my epidural button as he asked, “What’s this?” and gave me another boost. Up until then I had really great feeling and control of my legs, which I was feeling really good about. Oh well, I thought, at this rate it will be a while before I start pushing, so the double boost will wear off and I will have more leg control to push. My dad, mom, step dad, brothers and kids had all come by to visit and pass the time, but they were all getting hungry, so they decided to head out for dinner since it was going to be awhile. The combination of not sleeping Tuesday night and all of the pitocin in my system was making me really sleepy, so I took a short nap when they left.
At 6:15 the nurse came in to bring me more ice chips and check my monitor and I asked her to check me so I could go back to sleep and not have to be wake up again in 15 minutes. She checked me, and to our surprise, I was at a 10, completely effaced and there was a baby head ready to pop out. Seth called my mom and told her to hurry back and the nurse caught my OBGYN, who was on his way to do an emergency C-section. Dr. Lamb (my OB) came to see if he should go do the C-section first and then come deliver me or if I was close enough to delivering that he would have to deliver me first. The plan was to do a test push and see where we were, but when he checked me, he forbade me from pushing and told me to hold her in until he got his gloves on. My mom walked in the door right then - perfect timing! I held perfectly still so as not to push while Dr. Lamb got his robe-thing over his arms and his gloves on. He had me do a soft push and the little head popped out, he had me push softly one more time (during the same contraction) and there came her tiny little body! I remember looking at the clock while they were cleaning her up and thinking - it is a good thing I had them check me at 6:15, because it isn't 6:30 yet and I have a baby!
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Since everything went faster than my body was expecting, my uterus didn't firm up as quickly as it should have, so my doctor was worried about hemorrhaging. They gave me a shot of something and massaged my tummy vigorously for the next 20 minutes - at which point I was grateful Morgan had given me that extra epidural boost! When she was all cleaned off, Seth and my Mom got to hold her and I fed her for the first time..JPG)
As I held her and looked into her sweet face, she looked like a Brynn. I asked Seth what he thought and thankfully he agreed, so she finally had a name! My family got back shortly afterward and everyone got to hold and admire her before she was whisked away for all of her testing and evaluations. Morgan and Chloe were so excited to meet their little sister. .JPG)
Morgan couldn’t wait to hold her and took a turn right away. After she saw that Morgan was excited to hold her, Chloe wanted a turn and then the next 10 minutes were filled with each child proclaiming, “my turn,” as soon as the other one (or anyone else) got her. .JPG)
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Once the baby was gone, everyone headed out and my mom and John took the kids home to get them to bed.
Brynn was perfectly healthy and beautiful from the second she arrived, but I really struggled with my recovery. I felt pretty good – not shaky or freezing as with past deliveries – but the shot they gave me to help my uterus firm up made really sick, and I ended up throwing up the ice chips, 2 crackers and a few sips of “post-delivery cocktail” that I had been able to eat. They gave me some zofran and I started feeling much better. They moved us up to our post-partum room and Seth headed over to give Brynn her bath.
My grandparents and Seth's family arrived just in time to see the bath and my food came. Since it was late in the evening, it was just a turkey sandwich, jello, pudding and juice. Everyone came in our room to visit and hold baby Brynn and I slowly ate my jello and pudding and drank some juice, but the medicine was still affecting me and I ended up throwing everything up again. By that point everyone had gotten a chance to hold Brynn, so they all headed out.
Seth wanted to go show off pictures of his baby girl to his co-workers in the ER and then he headed home to relieve my mom and John. Over the course of the night, I got very little sleep. Brynn was excited to eat, so she came back to see me every couple of hours. Tearing during delivery had caused swelling and I couldn’t go to the bathroom on my own, so they put me on an IV drip and a catheter for the night. This made sleep more difficult, so I didn’t get much sleep – again.
I “woke” up feeling utterly exhausted and very emotional. They dropped of my breakfast and I burst into tears. Why? I don’t exactly know. Possibly because I was starving and the toast was covering the eggs on the plate and I was thinking there was no way this piece of toast and 2 slices of bacon were going to cut it. In the midst of this mini-meltdown, the doctor came in to do rounds and her inquiry as to how I was feeling led to more uncontrollable and unexplainable tears. Nope, no pain…nope, no complications with the baby…nope, no lack of support…really – everything is good, I just can’t stop crying! Then my new nurse for the day came to introduce herself while I was still emotional and then the new CNA for the day came to introduce herself. Finally after the bombardment of people, I was able to get control of my emotions and felt very embarrassed for the breakdown! When the pediatrician came for his rounds, I was able to avoid a total meltdown – woo hoo!
Seth brought the kids in a little later and I was so excited to see them and hear that they missed having me there when they woke up. We watched the rest of Wall-E, but when that ended, I realized that having kids in a hospital room is highly stressful. They held baby Brynn, got on and off of my bed, pushed every button in the room, called the nurse and the nursery at least 5 times and almost ripped out my catheter tripping on the tubing. To avoid another total meltdown, Seth took the kids home to eat lunch and take naps.
After they left, I got my catheter out and was able to take a short nap which made all the difference. I felt like myself again! My mom brought a breadstick and some cookies from the Pizza Factory and some outfits for little Brynnie. Later I got to take a shower and get dressed and then Seth and the kids came back to visit with Happy Meals in tow – much less stressful this time (I think that was mostly due to my mental state)! After we ate our dinners, we headed over to the nursery to get Brynn and ran into Grandpa Mark in the hall. We went back to our room and held Brynn and then Grandpa took the kids to get ice cream and play at McDonalds while Seth and I rested in the room. At 7:30, Seth headed out to get the kids and get them home to bed so he could watch the office. My mom and John brought me some food later and I was able to get a little more sleep Thursday night.
The kids were so cute when they got to my room Friday morning and they were very excited to see their baby sister! We attempted to have some pictures taken – but they didn’t want to cooperate, so we just got Brynn’s picture taken and then we checked out and headed home!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of our family and friends who have been so sweet to us! The help with the kids, offers to help with the kids, provision of food and treats, sweet and tiny outfits for Brynnie, emails, comments, texts, etc. of love and support have not gone unnoticed! We are truly so blessed to have such amazing support! We love you so much!
My labor with her was pretty long and boring. Despite lots of Pitocin and my water being broken, I was only dialating about a cm an hour. At 2:00 I was at 4 cm. and by 5:30 pm, I was only to a 6, so the nurse said she would check me again at 6:30. I was feeling some pain on my right side, so the anesthesiologist gave me a boost in my epidural, and shortly after, Morgan pushed my epidural button as he asked, “What’s this?” and gave me another boost. Up until then I had really great feeling and control of my legs, which I was feeling really good about. Oh well, I thought, at this rate it will be a while before I start pushing, so the double boost will wear off and I will have more leg control to push. My dad, mom, step dad, brothers and kids had all come by to visit and pass the time, but they were all getting hungry, so they decided to head out for dinner since it was going to be awhile. The combination of not sleeping Tuesday night and all of the pitocin in my system was making me really sleepy, so I took a short nap when they left.
At 6:15 the nurse came in to bring me more ice chips and check my monitor and I asked her to check me so I could go back to sleep and not have to be wake up again in 15 minutes. She checked me, and to our surprise, I was at a 10, completely effaced and there was a baby head ready to pop out. Seth called my mom and told her to hurry back and the nurse caught my OBGYN, who was on his way to do an emergency C-section. Dr. Lamb (my OB) came to see if he should go do the C-section first and then come deliver me or if I was close enough to delivering that he would have to deliver me first. The plan was to do a test push and see where we were, but when he checked me, he forbade me from pushing and told me to hold her in until he got his gloves on. My mom walked in the door right then - perfect timing! I held perfectly still so as not to push while Dr. Lamb got his robe-thing over his arms and his gloves on. He had me do a soft push and the little head popped out, he had me push softly one more time (during the same contraction) and there came her tiny little body! I remember looking at the clock while they were cleaning her up and thinking - it is a good thing I had them check me at 6:15, because it isn't 6:30 yet and I have a baby!
Since everything went faster than my body was expecting, my uterus didn't firm up as quickly as it should have, so my doctor was worried about hemorrhaging. They gave me a shot of something and massaged my tummy vigorously for the next 20 minutes - at which point I was grateful Morgan had given me that extra epidural boost! When she was all cleaned off, Seth and my Mom got to hold her and I fed her for the first time.
As I held her and looked into her sweet face, she looked like a Brynn. I asked Seth what he thought and thankfully he agreed, so she finally had a name! My family got back shortly afterward and everyone got to hold and admire her before she was whisked away for all of her testing and evaluations. Morgan and Chloe were so excited to meet their little sister. Morgan couldn’t wait to hold her and took a turn right away. After she saw that Morgan was excited to hold her, Chloe wanted a turn and then the next 10 minutes were filled with each child proclaiming, “my turn,” as soon as the other one (or anyone else) got her. Once the baby was gone, everyone headed out and my mom and John took the kids home to get them to bed.Brynn was perfectly healthy and beautiful from the second she arrived, but I really struggled with my recovery. I felt pretty good – not shaky or freezing as with past deliveries – but the shot they gave me to help my uterus firm up made really sick, and I ended up throwing up the ice chips, 2 crackers and a few sips of “post-delivery cocktail” that I had been able to eat. They gave me some zofran and I started feeling much better. They moved us up to our post-partum room and Seth headed over to give Brynn her bath.
My grandparents and Seth's family arrived just in time to see the bath and my food came. Since it was late in the evening, it was just a turkey sandwich, jello, pudding and juice. Everyone came in our room to visit and hold baby Brynn and I slowly ate my jello and pudding and drank some juice, but the medicine was still affecting me and I ended up throwing everything up again. By that point everyone had gotten a chance to hold Brynn, so they all headed out.Seth wanted to go show off pictures of his baby girl to his co-workers in the ER and then he headed home to relieve my mom and John. Over the course of the night, I got very little sleep. Brynn was excited to eat, so she came back to see me every couple of hours. Tearing during delivery had caused swelling and I couldn’t go to the bathroom on my own, so they put me on an IV drip and a catheter for the night. This made sleep more difficult, so I didn’t get much sleep – again.I “woke” up feeling utterly exhausted and very emotional. They dropped of my breakfast and I burst into tears. Why? I don’t exactly know. Possibly because I was starving and the toast was covering the eggs on the plate and I was thinking there was no way this piece of toast and 2 slices of bacon were going to cut it. In the midst of this mini-meltdown, the doctor came in to do rounds and her inquiry as to how I was feeling led to more uncontrollable and unexplainable tears. Nope, no pain…nope, no complications with the baby…nope, no lack of support…really – everything is good, I just can’t stop crying! Then my new nurse for the day came to introduce herself while I was still emotional and then the new CNA for the day came to introduce herself. Finally after the bombardment of people, I was able to get control of my emotions and felt very embarrassed for the breakdown! When the pediatrician came for his rounds, I was able to avoid a total meltdown – woo hoo!
Seth brought the kids in a little later and I was so excited to see them and hear that they missed having me there when they woke up. We watched the rest of Wall-E, but when that ended, I realized that having kids in a hospital room is highly stressful. They held baby Brynn, got on and off of my bed, pushed every button in the room, called the nurse and the nursery at least 5 times and almost ripped out my catheter tripping on the tubing. To avoid another total meltdown, Seth took the kids home to eat lunch and take naps.After they left, I got my catheter out and was able to take a short nap which made all the difference. I felt like myself again! My mom brought a breadstick and some cookies from the Pizza Factory and some outfits for little Brynnie. Later I got to take a shower and get dressed and then Seth and the kids came back to visit with Happy Meals in tow – much less stressful this time (I think that was mostly due to my mental state)! After we ate our dinners, we headed over to the nursery to get Brynn and ran into Grandpa Mark in the hall. We went back to our room and held Brynn and then Grandpa took the kids to get ice cream and play at McDonalds while Seth and I rested in the room. At 7:30, Seth headed out to get the kids and get them home to bed so he could watch the office. My mom and John brought me some food later and I was able to get a little more sleep Thursday night.
The kids were so cute when they got to my room Friday morning and they were very excited to see their baby sister! We attempted to have some pictures taken – but they didn’t want to cooperate, so we just got Brynn’s picture taken and then we checked out and headed home!THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of our family and friends who have been so sweet to us! The help with the kids, offers to help with the kids, provision of food and treats, sweet and tiny outfits for Brynnie, emails, comments, texts, etc. of love and support have not gone unnoticed! We are truly so blessed to have such amazing support! We love you so much!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
One Day Old
Just wanted to let you know that, for the first time ever, my child fits in a premie size outfit! She is so beautiful and is the perfect blend of her siblings. She is a champion eater, so I am sure it won't last long - especially since I make ice cream instead of milk!
She smiled at me today when I told her that I loved her and we cuddled together all afternoon! Happy one-day birthday baby Brynn!
I promise to post about the delivery, meeting the family, the kids reactions to baby sister, my recovery and lots of pictures tomorrow so stay posted!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Welcome to the World Baby Brynn
Announcing our sweet little angel
Brynn Tate
Born January 21 at 6:26 PM
6 lbs. 4 oz. 18 1/4 inches long
We love this little girl so much and are so glad to have her here! I will post more pictures and details later. Mom and Baby are doing great!
Here is the "ready to have a baby" picture that I forgot to add to the last post.
Labor
Look at me being a devoted blogger - this post is coming to you from the labor and delivery room, IV'd wrist, epidural and all!
When I called at 6:00 this morning they told me to be here by 7:15 and by 7:30, I was in my gown and hooked up to the monitors. It is interesting how laid back I am with this baby compared to the previous two. Morgan had preschool this morning and niether of the kids are awake by 7:15, so I told Seth to stay in bed and I drove myself to the hospital and carried my own bags in, much to the surprise of the nurses.
By 8:30 they had me on pitocin got me my epidural around 11:45 and broke my water at about 12:45. I am not quite halfway to where we need to be to push, but things are progressing well and I am feeling pretty good. Baby sister (that's right, she still doesn't have a name) got a little excited about the prospect of joining the fam last night, so she kicked me all night long and I didn't get more than a couple of hours sleep, so I have been grateful to be able to catch a few short naps during the labor. I've also watched Legally Blonde, read my February Parents magazine and filled out a lot of paperwork...a fairly productive day for being confined to a bed.
So that's pretty much it...we'll keep you posted!
When I called at 6:00 this morning they told me to be here by 7:15 and by 7:30, I was in my gown and hooked up to the monitors. It is interesting how laid back I am with this baby compared to the previous two. Morgan had preschool this morning and niether of the kids are awake by 7:15, so I told Seth to stay in bed and I drove myself to the hospital and carried my own bags in, much to the surprise of the nurses.
By 8:30 they had me on pitocin got me my epidural around 11:45 and broke my water at about 12:45. I am not quite halfway to where we need to be to push, but things are progressing well and I am feeling pretty good. Baby sister (that's right, she still doesn't have a name) got a little excited about the prospect of joining the fam last night, so she kicked me all night long and I didn't get more than a couple of hours sleep, so I have been grateful to be able to catch a few short naps during the labor. I've also watched Legally Blonde, read my February Parents magazine and filled out a lot of paperwork...a fairly productive day for being confined to a bed.
So that's pretty much it...we'll keep you posted!
Houseguest
Last Friday marked our first "visitation" arrangement with Roxy and she came to stay with us until last night. It was so nice to have her with us and realize just how good this whole arrangement really is. We certainly miss her, but she is doing so much better and really thriving with the one-on-one love and attention she is getting in her new home. She and Callie were right back to teasing each other like siblings, but they were much more controlled about it. Morgan and Chloe were so happy to see her and we loved all the cuddles!
She was so well behaved - we always wished we had been able to devote the time and attention to her training that she is getting now - and it was evident that she missed us even though she loves her new home. The first thing she did when she got to our house was search for Seth. But, since he wasn't there, she had to settle for me and the kids. She sure loves her daddy!
Callie has improved her behavior significantly too. She is more obedient and responsive to commands and generally seems happier. I thought that the timing of this visit might be a little stressful with the baby coming and all, but it was a delight. We are truly blessed to have found Roxy such a wonderful home. It has been a blessing for everyone involved even though it has been hard. Thanks for visiting sweet Roorie - we love you!
She was so well behaved - we always wished we had been able to devote the time and attention to her training that she is getting now - and it was evident that she missed us even though she loves her new home. The first thing she did when she got to our house was search for Seth. But, since he wasn't there, she had to settle for me and the kids. She sure loves her daddy!
Callie has improved her behavior significantly too. She is more obedient and responsive to commands and generally seems happier. I thought that the timing of this visit might be a little stressful with the baby coming and all, but it was a delight. We are truly blessed to have found Roxy such a wonderful home. It has been a blessing for everyone involved even though it has been hard. Thanks for visiting sweet Roorie - we love you!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Sweet Sweet Friends
I have the sweetest friends in the world. I have been feeling a little anti-social lately - which I'll blame on the pregnancy - and I haven't been feeling myself because of it. With the craziness of holidays and people going out of town, I took a hiatus from planning our local playgroup and girl's night outs and I had really noticed a void in my life.
Today was extra special because we had playgroup and Girl's Night Out for the first time in a few months, which was fantastic! I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful and amazing "mommy" friends whose kids my children adore. My sweet friend Mandy offered to plan the Girl's Night Out this month with the baby coming and to my complete surprise made the event a baby shower for me. I was totally surprised and it was so sweet of everyone to get me fully stocked for the baby!
So to all of you wonderful ladies - and you know who you are - the ones who were there and the ones who weren't - I just want you to know how much you mean to me and how grateful I am for your love and friendship! My life is richer and sweeter because you are a part of it! THANK YOU! I truly am blessed with sweet sweet friends!
(And, of course, thanks to my wonderful mom for making it possible for me to go to Girl's Night Out despite an irritable daughter with a fever and a little boy who didn't take a nap today! I almost decided not to go because the kids were having a rough afternoon - that would not have been good!)
Today was extra special because we had playgroup and Girl's Night Out for the first time in a few months, which was fantastic! I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful and amazing "mommy" friends whose kids my children adore. My sweet friend Mandy offered to plan the Girl's Night Out this month with the baby coming and to my complete surprise made the event a baby shower for me. I was totally surprised and it was so sweet of everyone to get me fully stocked for the baby!
So to all of you wonderful ladies - and you know who you are - the ones who were there and the ones who weren't - I just want you to know how much you mean to me and how grateful I am for your love and friendship! My life is richer and sweeter because you are a part of it! THANK YOU! I truly am blessed with sweet sweet friends!
(And, of course, thanks to my wonderful mom for making it possible for me to go to Girl's Night Out despite an irritable daughter with a fever and a little boy who didn't take a nap today! I almost decided not to go because the kids were having a rough afternoon - that would not have been good!)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Classic Chloe in Need of a Haircut
This is what Chloe looks like on a day to day basis: stroller, dolls and all...
Here's a close up - seriously in need of a haircut, I know, so today I took her to cookie cutters and she looks so cute. I haven't taken any pics of the new and improved Chloe, but she will look beautiful in all those pictures of becoming a big sister! Her little sis may just have as much hair as she does though - will her hair ever grow?!
Here's a close up - seriously in need of a haircut, I know, so today I took her to cookie cutters and she looks so cute. I haven't taken any pics of the new and improved Chloe, but she will look beautiful in all those pictures of becoming a big sister! Her little sis may just have as much hair as she does though - will her hair ever grow?!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Whew!
Well, after worrying for 2 days straight about the sweet little baby girl in my tummy, I had the diagnostic ultrasound this morning and everything is good. She has a strong heartbeat, the fluid levels are good and they have ruled out placenta problems. She is, however, on the small side of things - especially for one of my babies - weighing in around 5 1/2 lbs. That means that even if she gains a pound this week (like she is supposed to) I am going to have a baby that weighs less than 7 lbs. at birth. This, friends, is monumental for me! Chloe was 8 lbs. 1 oz. 8 days early, and Morgan was 8 lbs. 13 oz. 8 days early. Quite a difference - so here's hoping for an easy breezy delivery next Wednesday thanks to a much smaller baby, a body that has experienced much worse - twice in the last 4 years, and, of course, the wonder of epidurals! Yipee!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pregnancy Update
I had an appointment today and we scheduled the induction for next Wednesday, January 21. I am dialated to a 1 1/2 so I am progressing well and these annoying contractions that are increasing in frequency are actually doing something other than causing me pain! I am measuring smaller, though, despite gaining weight (probably why I am always out of breath) which has my doctor (and in turn, me) worried that there may be a growth issue with the baby, so I go in on Wednesday for a diagnostic ultrasound to check on the baby and make sure everything is okay. If it turns out that there is a problem, I will probably be induced sooner.
After my appointment, I got a little freaked out that we will be having a baby in 9 days (at the most), so I am proud to announce that the baby girl clothes are down from storage and sorted into sizes (thanks Seth). Now, I just need to get a dresser so I have somewhere to put them and take down the Christmas decorations before I have my hands full!
After my appointment, I got a little freaked out that we will be having a baby in 9 days (at the most), so I am proud to announce that the baby girl clothes are down from storage and sorted into sizes (thanks Seth). Now, I just need to get a dresser so I have somewhere to put them and take down the Christmas decorations before I have my hands full!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Quotes from the Backseat
Morgan - "Chloe, your hair looks SO cute today. I love your pigtails! They are so pretty!"
... a few seconds later...
Morgan - "Mom, Chloe has pigtails in her hair and I sawed them and they were so cute!"
Like I said, Morgan's wife is going to be one very happy girl!
... a few seconds later...
Morgan - "Mom, Chloe has pigtails in her hair and I sawed them and they were so cute!"
Like I said, Morgan's wife is going to be one very happy girl!
Friday, January 9, 2009
REI Clearance
In case you haven't realized this about us yet, we are major bargain shoppers and we love outdoor sports and activities. So, friends, the stars have aligned (as they do every year right around this time) and the REI Clearance sale started today. It was like black friday shopping reruns, except we had the kids with us.
We happened to go to REI earlier in the week and saw this adoreable snow hat that I had been eying for Chloe all season on sale. I tried it on her, it fit and I grasped it close as if it were gold so I could take it up and make the purchase, when Seth reminded me of the 50% clearance sale that would inevitably be coming soon and the nice lady who overheard us mentioned that it would start Friday (today). So, I slowly placed the hat back on the shelf - still not convinced I was willing to take the chance of it being gone by then - and we scoped out the stuff we wanted to come back and get. Many things caught our eye, so today we got up early and had the kids loaded in the car at 9:30 AM to be at REI before they opened at 10. It was a good thing we were early because there was an ever-growing line when we got there at 9:40 and they opened the doors at about 9:50.
We stocked up on next year's snow gear for all 3 kids, stuff that will fit baby sister so we can take her snowshoeing over the next couple of months, lots of cute and comfy shoes for the whole family at rediculously cheap prices, and other random odds and ends. It was so exciting! Anyway - if you need/want stuff from REI, go check it out! Enjoy!
Oh, and lest you worry, they still had the hat in Chloe's size - and a smaller one for baby sister - so I got both. Phew! My first "twinner sisters" purchase!!!
We happened to go to REI earlier in the week and saw this adoreable snow hat that I had been eying for Chloe all season on sale. I tried it on her, it fit and I grasped it close as if it were gold so I could take it up and make the purchase, when Seth reminded me of the 50% clearance sale that would inevitably be coming soon and the nice lady who overheard us mentioned that it would start Friday (today). So, I slowly placed the hat back on the shelf - still not convinced I was willing to take the chance of it being gone by then - and we scoped out the stuff we wanted to come back and get. Many things caught our eye, so today we got up early and had the kids loaded in the car at 9:30 AM to be at REI before they opened at 10. It was a good thing we were early because there was an ever-growing line when we got there at 9:40 and they opened the doors at about 9:50.
We stocked up on next year's snow gear for all 3 kids, stuff that will fit baby sister so we can take her snowshoeing over the next couple of months, lots of cute and comfy shoes for the whole family at rediculously cheap prices, and other random odds and ends. It was so exciting! Anyway - if you need/want stuff from REI, go check it out! Enjoy!
Oh, and lest you worry, they still had the hat in Chloe's size - and a smaller one for baby sister - so I got both. Phew! My first "twinner sisters" purchase!!!
The Depths of Randomness
The other day as I was putting Chloe down for her afternoon nap and she looked up at me and said, "No, Daddy do it!" I had a very random thought pop into my mind as I told her, for at least the 15th time that day, that Daddy was working today so Mommy would have to do it.
The random thought:
My poor daughters are in big trouble when it comes to finding a boyfriend/husband. Those poor boys they date are sure in for it! Not only is it highly likely that they will be fairly high-maintenance girls to start with, there are very few people who measure up to these girls' daddy. I sure hope there are some boys out there who will measure up to Seth. Well, at least I know that Morgan has a good example - he will sure have one lucky wife!
Why am I thinking about this? My daughters are 1 and not even born yet, so why am I worrying about something that won't even be relevant for another 14+ years? You just never know what may come from the depths of randomness that are my brain!
The random thought:
My poor daughters are in big trouble when it comes to finding a boyfriend/husband. Those poor boys they date are sure in for it! Not only is it highly likely that they will be fairly high-maintenance girls to start with, there are very few people who measure up to these girls' daddy. I sure hope there are some boys out there who will measure up to Seth. Well, at least I know that Morgan has a good example - he will sure have one lucky wife!
Why am I thinking about this? My daughters are 1 and not even born yet, so why am I worrying about something that won't even be relevant for another 14+ years? You just never know what may come from the depths of randomness that are my brain!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A Simple Testimony
If you were in our sacrament meeting on Sunday this is what you heard from the pulpit when a little 3-year-old boy stood at the pulpit with his daddy...
(whispered)
Morgan - "Daddy, I need some help."
Seth - "Say what you told me you were going to say."
M (still whispering toward Seth) - "I love Jesus and I love the Book of Mormon..."
S - "You have to say it louder into the microphone."
M - "Will you help me?"
(finally in an audible voice with Seth whispering in his ear)
M - "I love Jesus and I love the Book of Mormon. I love my Family. I love Heavenly Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
He really wanted to go up and "say his testimony in the microphone" from the beginning of the meeting, but being my lazy self, I let him forget about it. When the meeting was almost over, though, he reminded me so I asked him what he would say. He told me verbatim what you just read and I said "OK, tell Daddy you want to go up." So he did and up they went (much to Chloe's dismay). He knew just what to do - moved the step to the podium - stood there and then gave his sweet and simple testimony of the Gospel. Nobody told him what he should say (Seth whispered in his ear, but they were his own words) or forced him to go, and that was the best part: it was his testimony.
Sidenote: The other day he was saying his prayers before bed and amidst his thank you's he said, "Thank you for the Book of Mormon". Niether Seth or I have told him to say that in his prayers before, (though we often say thank you for scriptures) so we aren't sure where he got it from, but we are grateful that he is learning to love The Book of Mormon. So sweet!
(whispered)
Morgan - "Daddy, I need some help."
Seth - "Say what you told me you were going to say."
M (still whispering toward Seth) - "I love Jesus and I love the Book of Mormon..."
S - "You have to say it louder into the microphone."
M - "Will you help me?"
(finally in an audible voice with Seth whispering in his ear)
M - "I love Jesus and I love the Book of Mormon. I love my Family. I love Heavenly Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
He really wanted to go up and "say his testimony in the microphone" from the beginning of the meeting, but being my lazy self, I let him forget about it. When the meeting was almost over, though, he reminded me so I asked him what he would say. He told me verbatim what you just read and I said "OK, tell Daddy you want to go up." So he did and up they went (much to Chloe's dismay). He knew just what to do - moved the step to the podium - stood there and then gave his sweet and simple testimony of the Gospel. Nobody told him what he should say (Seth whispered in his ear, but they were his own words) or forced him to go, and that was the best part: it was his testimony.
Sidenote: The other day he was saying his prayers before bed and amidst his thank you's he said, "Thank you for the Book of Mormon". Niether Seth or I have told him to say that in his prayers before, (though we often say thank you for scriptures) so we aren't sure where he got it from, but we are grateful that he is learning to love The Book of Mormon. So sweet!
Roxy Update
I realize that I have not posted an update about the Roxy situation (mostly because I knew that doing so would make me cry) so here it is.
Roxy officially has a new home. Her owner loves her to pieces and is already spoiling her rotten. Roxy is happy there. She loves the attention and is behaving herself very well (other than jumping the fence and going for a jog around the neighborhood - the new owner was warned of this tendancy to run, but didn't believe us). She is learning new tricks and getting the time and devotion she needs.
Things around here are so much calmer. There is less chaos, less food stolen from children (more realistically, given to dogs by children), and much less dog food comsumed (Roxy ate double what Callie eats in a day). In addition, Callie has been so much better behaved. I think that Callie got used to being "the dog" who was showered with love and attention and at the same time she had another baby to share the spotlight with, she also had another dog to share it with.
I, however, am still a little heartbroken. I know that this was the right choice for our family and for Roxy and I am so happy to know that Roxy is getting what she needs, but I still miss her. I wish that I could have been a better mommy to her and that we had more space and that I had more energy, but I hope that she knew she was loved when she was here. I often still cry when I think that she is gone or when I drive by her new neighborhood or when Chloe calls Callie "Roxy Roo" but I find comfort knowing she is safe, happy and coming back to hang out with us for a whole week this month. Also, the use of my back landing for something other than a dog kennel has been delightful!
Roxy officially has a new home. Her owner loves her to pieces and is already spoiling her rotten. Roxy is happy there. She loves the attention and is behaving herself very well (other than jumping the fence and going for a jog around the neighborhood - the new owner was warned of this tendancy to run, but didn't believe us). She is learning new tricks and getting the time and devotion she needs.
Things around here are so much calmer. There is less chaos, less food stolen from children (more realistically, given to dogs by children), and much less dog food comsumed (Roxy ate double what Callie eats in a day). In addition, Callie has been so much better behaved. I think that Callie got used to being "the dog" who was showered with love and attention and at the same time she had another baby to share the spotlight with, she also had another dog to share it with.
I, however, am still a little heartbroken. I know that this was the right choice for our family and for Roxy and I am so happy to know that Roxy is getting what she needs, but I still miss her. I wish that I could have been a better mommy to her and that we had more space and that I had more energy, but I hope that she knew she was loved when she was here. I often still cry when I think that she is gone or when I drive by her new neighborhood or when Chloe calls Callie "Roxy Roo" but I find comfort knowing she is safe, happy and coming back to hang out with us for a whole week this month. Also, the use of my back landing for something other than a dog kennel has been delightful!
All about the Names
If only this post were about "baby sister's" name...
My kids are obsessed with names. I have posted about Morgan's name obsession before, but it has now rubbed off on Chloe, so I have two kids who are little name robots. Maybe it is their social nature or their way of identifying their world by personal association, but they want to know everyone's names.
In church on Sunday, Chloe was babbling on talking to the mice she "borrowed" from Quincy (thanks Ruth!) and she started telling us the names of all her buddies behind us. "Quincy, Asher..." I wasn't sure if Seth knew what she was doing, so I whispered for him to listen and she continued with clarity, "Dylan, Luke, Gage" each time pointing to the corrosponding person. It was pretty hillarious! Meanwhile, Morgan was identifying his favorite people in his Book of Mormon lift-the-flaps book - Ammon, bad King Noah, Lehi, Nephi, Sariah, Joseph Smith, Moroni.
Chloe has really taken to the women in her favorite uncles' lives too. The other day we picked up Jess and Sariah and she said their names excitedly as soon as she saw them come through the door, "Sariah!" "Uncle Jess!" Uncle Michael's girlfriend, Sarah, has been hanging out with us more frequently scine she has been home for winter break, and every time Chloe sees her she lights up and says, "Sarah!" and whenever we see Uncle Michael without Sarah, Morgan asks, "Where's Sarah?" so Chloe asks sometimes too.
She has also figured out how to use this newfound knowledge of names to tease my brothers. Whenever they ask her their names, she calls them the wrong name - she calls Stephen "Uncle Michael" and Michael "Uncle Stephen". You might think she is just confusing the two, but in ALL other instances, she refers to them correctly. She only switches them when they are wanting to test her to make sure she knows their names. We are in for trouble with this little lady!
Of course, Chloe is also very good with the names of everyone in our immediate family. Every morning she takes the time to greet everyone my name. I love the sweet way she says, "Daddy" with a twinkle in her eyes and then says, "Mommy," to let me know that she knows my name too. She pronounces Morgan's name so sweetly and loves to repeat it all day long, "Mo-gun!" And, of course, she has to look for Callie and say hello. She has finally stopped calling for "Woxy-woo" (Roxy) after more than 2 weeks without her around, though. She also enjoys identifying pictures of "Baby Ko-e" (herself), always followed by a smile and the description, "Cute."
Both Morgan and Chloe love to look at pictures of family and friends and identify each one. Morgan loves sitting at the kitchen table to do this with the Christmas Cards that are still hanging on our wall. It never ceases to amaze me that friends and cousins that we haven't seen for months or more are still remembered by name.
Though it kind of wigs me out that my kids are so good with names at such a young age (I am pretty sure this is not normal behavior), it serves as a great reminder to value each person as an individual. The kids don't remember names because it is the socially acceptable thing to do, they do it because they value the person attached to the name. There is so much that I learn from them every day about being more focused on the important stuff - the people in my life, the things that make them happy and spending time together. Hopefully this name-power will rub off on me at some point!
My kids are obsessed with names. I have posted about Morgan's name obsession before, but it has now rubbed off on Chloe, so I have two kids who are little name robots. Maybe it is their social nature or their way of identifying their world by personal association, but they want to know everyone's names.
In church on Sunday, Chloe was babbling on talking to the mice she "borrowed" from Quincy (thanks Ruth!) and she started telling us the names of all her buddies behind us. "Quincy, Asher..." I wasn't sure if Seth knew what she was doing, so I whispered for him to listen and she continued with clarity, "Dylan, Luke, Gage" each time pointing to the corrosponding person. It was pretty hillarious! Meanwhile, Morgan was identifying his favorite people in his Book of Mormon lift-the-flaps book - Ammon, bad King Noah, Lehi, Nephi, Sariah, Joseph Smith, Moroni.
Chloe has really taken to the women in her favorite uncles' lives too. The other day we picked up Jess and Sariah and she said their names excitedly as soon as she saw them come through the door, "Sariah!" "Uncle Jess!" Uncle Michael's girlfriend, Sarah, has been hanging out with us more frequently scine she has been home for winter break, and every time Chloe sees her she lights up and says, "Sarah!" and whenever we see Uncle Michael without Sarah, Morgan asks, "Where's Sarah?" so Chloe asks sometimes too.
She has also figured out how to use this newfound knowledge of names to tease my brothers. Whenever they ask her their names, she calls them the wrong name - she calls Stephen "Uncle Michael" and Michael "Uncle Stephen". You might think she is just confusing the two, but in ALL other instances, she refers to them correctly. She only switches them when they are wanting to test her to make sure she knows their names. We are in for trouble with this little lady!
Of course, Chloe is also very good with the names of everyone in our immediate family. Every morning she takes the time to greet everyone my name. I love the sweet way she says, "Daddy" with a twinkle in her eyes and then says, "Mommy," to let me know that she knows my name too. She pronounces Morgan's name so sweetly and loves to repeat it all day long, "Mo-gun!" And, of course, she has to look for Callie and say hello. She has finally stopped calling for "Woxy-woo" (Roxy) after more than 2 weeks without her around, though. She also enjoys identifying pictures of "Baby Ko-e" (herself), always followed by a smile and the description, "Cute."
Both Morgan and Chloe love to look at pictures of family and friends and identify each one. Morgan loves sitting at the kitchen table to do this with the Christmas Cards that are still hanging on our wall. It never ceases to amaze me that friends and cousins that we haven't seen for months or more are still remembered by name.
Though it kind of wigs me out that my kids are so good with names at such a young age (I am pretty sure this is not normal behavior), it serves as a great reminder to value each person as an individual. The kids don't remember names because it is the socially acceptable thing to do, they do it because they value the person attached to the name. There is so much that I learn from them every day about being more focused on the important stuff - the people in my life, the things that make them happy and spending time together. Hopefully this name-power will rub off on me at some point!
Winter Fun
There is snow on the ground, in the air and on the roads and we have been trying to take full advantage of it before we have to bundle a 3rd child every time we do!
On Boxing Day, we went sledding with Seth's family at Sugarhouse park and had a lot of fun. Morgan deemed me the best sledder ever (since I was the only one who didn't get snow in his face on the way down and I don't go as fast as Seth) and Chloe enjoyed going down the first couple of times as well. After about 4 runs, I was pretty much spent - climbing that hill sure took a toll on my prego body - and then it started to get really cold, windy and snowy, so we were all spent. We made snow angels at the top of the hill and took some pictures and then piled in the car and headed home for some hot cocoa and chili! Mmm!
Morgan got pretty good at making snow angels.
Chloe got very cold by the end and was ready to go!
And this is my pregnant profile. I don't think they make maternity snow gear, and if they do, it is really hard to find since there aren't really any "approved" snow activities for pregnant people, so I wore my regular snowpants without buttoning or zipping them and barely zipped my coat over my belly! I will be really glad to fit in my clothes again!
The next day, we went on a snowshoeing adventure with the Banks. They were troopers to go without snowpants and boots, but we got out there and made a snowshoe trip happen! Callie was in heaven running through snow deeper than her and Chloe was giggling the whole time. She loved it as long as we were moving and if Seth stopped, she would say, "Go Dad, Go!"
Morgan wore his own snowshoes and hiked the whole time. He did so awesome and he LOVED it! I have decided that there is just nothing cooler than watching your kids embrace something you love and love it too!
Our hike was pretty short (which was perfect for Morgan and I) because Porter decided he wasn't a big fan of snowshoeing right then, but we had a great time anyway! You just have to be flexible when you combine kids and winter sports (or anything really)! 
The weather was perfect and the snow was sublime!
More to come on snowmen and hot chocolate later!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Christmas Morning Magic
I absolutely love Christmas morning! I love that I still get too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve. I love the magic and surprise of seeing what Santa has brought. I love exchanging gifts and realizing that, once again, I have gone completely overboard buying gifts for the kiddos. I love watching the kids open presents and I love that they are so grateful for everything. I guess that is one benefit of getting spoiled rotten - it gives us a huge opportunity to teach gratitude!
Santa brought Seth and I a new camera to replace our other one sustaining water damage from a river trip, so he used it to take some pictures of the calm before the storm (and I am not talking about the storm that created our very white Christmas). :)
Santa brought Seth and I a new camera to replace our other one sustaining water damage from a river trip, so he used it to take some pictures of the calm before the storm (and I am not talking about the storm that created our very white Christmas). :)
The kids didn't wake up until 8:30 (I had been up for at least an hour wondering why they weren't up yet) but the first words out of Morgan's mouth were, "It's Christmas, did Santa come last night?" Here are some pictures of our grand entrance on Christmas morning. Chloe immediately took to the orange Santa hid in her doll stroller and pushed it around the house before exploring anything else. Eventually, I put the stuffed pig from her stocking in the stroller with the orange so she would notice that there was more to Christmas morning than an orange and a doll stroller. Morgan loved his farm and tractor - and was even excited about socks. He loved his polar express train whistle too, until he got sawdust in his mouth. He was pretty excited about opening presents, though, so he was anxious to keep the morning moving (Santa doesn't wrap gifts at our house, so all the wrapped ones were from us to each other - mostly from Mom and Dad to one of the kids). We got lots of games for the whole family to enjoy and a ridiculous amount movies this year. Seth had the video camera in hand all morning and I was behind the lens trying to capture every moment of the magic! 
Then it was on to presents from each other. Morgan was excited to have Chloe open her present from him so she could push babies around in that stroller instead of the beloved orange. Seth was very surprised by his Game of Things (especially since he had never heard of it before). The kids both loved their Doctor kits and wanted to take everything out and play with them for quite a while before they would move on to the next gift. Morgan absolutely loved his big tonka trucks for the sandbox! With Seth's crazy schedule, I didn't expect his to do any shopping on his own, so we had discussed and I had gotten some stuff he could "give" me (really if you think about it - he gives me everything I buy since he brings in the $$). He did make time for a little shopping, though, much to my surprise - a giant knuckle bone for Callie (Morgan helped her unwrap it as she salivated anxiously!) and for me, an entire collection of awful, ugly sweaters for the whole family with DI tags still in tact! Yeah, some wives get jewelry or cute clothes, but we want to win all ugly sweater party competitions, so we give the important stuff. He also surprised me with "You've Got Mail", one of my all-time FAVORITE chick-flicks that I have been missing since I moved out of my parents house!
Morgan got to go "shopping" for each of us with his preschool class using reward "bucks" and got us some really hilarious stuff. He got fancy bath soak for Chloe, and crocheted pot-holders and magnet clips for Seth and I - he is so funny! I loved watching the kids explore their new stuff and get excited about playing with it. Morgan was way into his laptop and Chloe really just wanted to push her babies around in her stroller, put them down for naps in their crib, and then back to the stroller for another walk.
We took our sweet time enjoying the morning and didn't get to Grandma Tate's until after 11:30 - even Seth's family beat us there! After our 2nd breakfast at Grandma Colleen's we headed home for naps and found that our electricity was only half-capacity. So, while I attempted to bake and get goodies ready for hosting our families that evening, Seth investigated the electricity situation. Our neighbors had power, so we assumed it was something specific to us and found that the storm had blown our outside fuse box open and gotten it wet, but since NOBODY is open on Christmas day, we were pretty much sitting-ducks until morning. Fortunately, our tree lights and garlands were still working, our bedroom lamps worked, the Wii and TV had power, a couple of kitchen outlets worked so we brought in a lamp for the kitchen, and the stove was working enough to trick me into thinking I could indeed make my rolls, but the oven never actually got hot enough. Unfortunately, the heater, fridge and overhead lights were all out - yay! We made the best of our "Half-lit" Christmas and stayed very warm with the eternally preheating oven, some space heaters and plenty of bodies packed in. The lighting seemed intentional for a "festive and romantic" effect, and (though they didn't rise well) my rolls with strawberry honey butter were still a big hit! Thanks to all of our family for enduring the unconventional conditions and sharing Christmas night with us!
Just FYI - it turns out that it was a problem on the power company's end (due to the storm, I'm sure) because our power kicked back on at 4:00 AM, shortly after Callie started freaking out because the Utah Power guy was poking around our yard. For being one of the gentlest and most tolerant dogs I have ever known, she sure is a good guard dog - NOBODY approaches our house without us knowing. She even barks to let us know about suspicious people just passing by our house - and no, that is not everyone who passes!
Baby...what baby?
I am really close to having 3 kids. In case you haven't noticed the ticker on the right, I am more than 36 weeks. That means that I will be induced in less than 3 weeks. Yep, less than 3 weeks! My body is ready to be rid of this baby girl. The heartburn, the lack of ability to sleep, the discomfort of pre-labor pains (these must get worse with every pregnancy), my aching sciatic nerve and my general ginormousity which is putting a major damper on my winter sports involvement.
My mind, on the other hand, is completely unprepared. If you know me well, you know that I am a planner. I drove around with Morgan's infant carrier installed in my car for more than 3 months, I got stressed out by baby showers that were within 2 months of my due date because I wanted to have everything in its place, Chloe was named (and called) Chloe for many months in the womb, clothes were folded on shelves and in dressers for months before having a baby to wear them, and a selection of "hospital" outfits was pondered long before the big day. This time around...not so. I kept telling myself to get through Christmas before worrying about any baby stuff.
Well friends, Christmas has past, New Year's has past, and this little girl doesn't have a name, clothes are still in an upper cabinet unsorted and unwashed, there is no progress toward the room change for Chloe, I need to buy a bed and dresser and completely overhaul Morgan's closet, I have no size 1 diapers in the house (though the hospital will send me home with plenty, so I don't have to worry about that), no hospital outfits have been chosen or bags packed, and we are less than 3 weeks away! Yikes! Not to mention that it recently hit me that I am going to have 3 kids and only 2 hands/arms/legs/eyes...you get the picture. I am starting to think that I didn't really need a bigger car because we will probably not be leaving the house together for a very long time! The good news is that the blessing brunch menu is planned - that definitely had to be done before the baby was born! Ha!
The kids are getting really excited for the baby though. Morgan regularly asks when baby sister will be coming. He knows that it will involve me going to the hospital, so when we are in the car and he doesn't know where we are going, he always asks, "Are we going to the hospital to get baby sister out of your tummy?"
Today he asked if she was wearing clothes in my tummy...I explained that she is naked, but when she comes out we will put clothes on her so she can be warm. Later in the afternoon he said, "Baby sister is naked in your tummy, mom," very matter-of-factly, as if I didn't know.
Both Morgan and Chloe like to "see" the baby, but don't think she is really there unless my tummy is bare and they can see my stretching skin. Yesterday, Morgan asked me to see the baby, so I lifted my shirt and he saw my belly button, which is currently poking out, pointed to it and said, "Look, mom! I can see baby sister, she is right there!" Chloe likes to show me how you hold a baby and is getting lots of practice on her dolls.
Yesterday, I took some of Chloe's "too small" clothes out of her drawer and Morgan started helping by taking them to the garbage can. As I got them back out of the garbage and out of his arms, I explained that we would be saving these for baby sister since she would eventually get bigger and fit in them. At dinner, Morgan told me, "I have some shoes under my bed that are too small, so I am saving them for baby sister when she gets bigger." What a good big brother he is!
Morgan is also intrigued by the age of the baby. "How old is baby sister today, Mom?" he asks. Each time I explain that the baby doesn't have an "age" until it is born and then it will start at 0 and get older each day. "Oh," he says...minutes later he asks, "Is the baby 1 now?"
So, there you have it. I am ready to have this baby, but I am not ready to have her. Hopefully soon we will be able to call her something other than "baby sister" and hopefully my "nesting" will kick in soon and last long enough to do the dishes, mop the floor and get baby clothes out of storage!
My mind, on the other hand, is completely unprepared. If you know me well, you know that I am a planner. I drove around with Morgan's infant carrier installed in my car for more than 3 months, I got stressed out by baby showers that were within 2 months of my due date because I wanted to have everything in its place, Chloe was named (and called) Chloe for many months in the womb, clothes were folded on shelves and in dressers for months before having a baby to wear them, and a selection of "hospital" outfits was pondered long before the big day. This time around...not so. I kept telling myself to get through Christmas before worrying about any baby stuff.
Well friends, Christmas has past, New Year's has past, and this little girl doesn't have a name, clothes are still in an upper cabinet unsorted and unwashed, there is no progress toward the room change for Chloe, I need to buy a bed and dresser and completely overhaul Morgan's closet, I have no size 1 diapers in the house (though the hospital will send me home with plenty, so I don't have to worry about that), no hospital outfits have been chosen or bags packed, and we are less than 3 weeks away! Yikes! Not to mention that it recently hit me that I am going to have 3 kids and only 2 hands/arms/legs/eyes...you get the picture. I am starting to think that I didn't really need a bigger car because we will probably not be leaving the house together for a very long time! The good news is that the blessing brunch menu is planned - that definitely had to be done before the baby was born! Ha!
The kids are getting really excited for the baby though. Morgan regularly asks when baby sister will be coming. He knows that it will involve me going to the hospital, so when we are in the car and he doesn't know where we are going, he always asks, "Are we going to the hospital to get baby sister out of your tummy?"
Today he asked if she was wearing clothes in my tummy...I explained that she is naked, but when she comes out we will put clothes on her so she can be warm. Later in the afternoon he said, "Baby sister is naked in your tummy, mom," very matter-of-factly, as if I didn't know.
Both Morgan and Chloe like to "see" the baby, but don't think she is really there unless my tummy is bare and they can see my stretching skin. Yesterday, Morgan asked me to see the baby, so I lifted my shirt and he saw my belly button, which is currently poking out, pointed to it and said, "Look, mom! I can see baby sister, she is right there!" Chloe likes to show me how you hold a baby and is getting lots of practice on her dolls.
Yesterday, I took some of Chloe's "too small" clothes out of her drawer and Morgan started helping by taking them to the garbage can. As I got them back out of the garbage and out of his arms, I explained that we would be saving these for baby sister since she would eventually get bigger and fit in them. At dinner, Morgan told me, "I have some shoes under my bed that are too small, so I am saving them for baby sister when she gets bigger." What a good big brother he is!
Morgan is also intrigued by the age of the baby. "How old is baby sister today, Mom?" he asks. Each time I explain that the baby doesn't have an "age" until it is born and then it will start at 0 and get older each day. "Oh," he says...minutes later he asks, "Is the baby 1 now?"
So, there you have it. I am ready to have this baby, but I am not ready to have her. Hopefully soon we will be able to call her something other than "baby sister" and hopefully my "nesting" will kick in soon and last long enough to do the dishes, mop the floor and get baby clothes out of storage!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Our Christmas Traditions - Illustrated!
Now that you know all about our traditions, here are some pictures of this year's festivities.
We had our Christmas Celebration at Grandma Becky's the Monday before Christmas. There were so many presents I was worried the kids would be disappointed when they woke up Christmas morning. Grandma Becky, Grandpa John, Grandma Colleen, Grandpa TM, Michael and Stephen (my brothers), Sarah (Michael's girlfriend), Danae (my step-sister), Keath (my step-brother) and our family were all there to celebrate so we had quite the crowd. Morgan got to help EVERYONE open their presents, which he loved! Seth and I got a Kitchenaid mixer from my mom and John and, since that was more exciting for me than him, Seth also got Mario Kart for the Wii. Morgan and Chloe got completely spoiled by all of their uncles and aunt and of course by their Grandparents and great-grandparents. They got some toys and books to stay at Grandma Becky's house and some to take home. The big surprise for them were their cozy coupes. Chloe got a pink princess coupe complete with cell phone and holder and Morgan got a happy songs coupe which we realized was too small for him, so his police car coupe with siren and walkie talkie is on its way. Grandpa John had put the coupes together and they had parked their cars outside of the garage, so the kids got to go out and find them (and ride them around, of course) in the garage. They were so excited!We all had such a fun night spending time with everyone and are so grateful to everyone for all of the spoiling!
On Christmas Eve morning we decided to forgo our annual snowshoeing trip since we would be going sledding and snowshoeing later in the week and we were all a bit exhausted. We met up with my dad and Stephen for lunch at the Pizza Factory, where Michael was our server. After lunch we went to Grandma Bell's house to visit and keep the kids from breaking anything! We then headed back to my house to exchange gifts. The kids loved their presents from Grandpa - a see and say for Chloe and a football for Morgan. Again, we were spoiled - thanks dad!
After naps, we headed to the Tates for Christmas Eve dinner. We had a big crowd there too: Grandma Denese and Grandpa Tate, Laurelin, Bethany, Steve, Amelia, Jess, Sariah, Natalie, Jacob, Shanae, Collin, and our little familiy (that is 16 of us all together in the immediate family and we were missing 6 who couldn't make it - it is almost always a big crowd!). Morgan must have been overstimulated or overfilled with candy and treats because he randomly threw up all over me right before dinner. Luckily I was still wearing my coat, so I could just take it off and be clean, but he had to wear one of Collin's old shirts. Later he also got his pants wet spilling water on them, so he ended up with a blanket tied around his waist. So much for all of us looking festive and matching in the pictures! :) Jess provided poppers (an English Christmas tradition that he grew to enjoy on his mission) - which are basically paper tubes that you pop open to find a little toy and a paper crown. After dinner we did the sibling gift exchange. It was super chaotic, so I didn't get pictures of everyone, but everyone got some great stuff and we had some good laughs! Particularly when Grandma Denese got to open a very creatively wrapped broom, Bethany got a one-of-a-kind portrait of her family painted by Laurelin, Chloe wandering around with her shirt up showing off her belly button and Amelia put the entire collection of bows from Chloe in her hair at once. By the time we finished the gift exchange, everyone was needing to head out, so we didn't do the traditional Tate family nativity reenactment - so sad!
We headed home and opened our Christmas Book - the Christmas Candle - put the kids in their Christmas jammies, sprinkled the magic reindeer food on the lawn and enjoyed the beauty of Christmas Eve bedtime where the kids went right to sleep without a sound or complaint! Seth and I stayed up to wrap all of the presents - I put it off until Christmas Eve because we never have enough room under the tree, I replaced the burned out strand of lights on the tree and cleaned the house and got to bed by 1:30 so Santa wouldn't skip our house. And, of course, he didn't!
Our Little Family's Christmas Traditions
I think that the hardest thing about living nearby all of your family is managing everyone's holiday expectations without letting it entirely ruin the holiday for you. We are so spoiled to have wonderfully understanding and flexible families who have been so accomodating as we have tried to find a way to spend quality time celebrating Christmas with all of them.
Our first Christmas together, Seth and I went dutifully to visit each family on Christmas. By each family, I mean - Seth's Mom, Dad and Siblings, Seth's Grandma Tate, my Grandma Colleen and Grandpa TM, my Mom, Dad and siblings (my parents were still married at the time), my Grandma Bell, my Grandpa Bell, Seth's Grandpa Checketts (in Ogden), and Seth's Grandma Checketts (near Ogden). By the time we stumbled back to our apartment late Christmas night, I burst into tears and told Seth that I would never spend my Christmas like that ever again! We spent 30-45 minutes at each place we went and felt rushed the whole time we were there so we didn't spend quality time with anyone. And...this was before we had kids, so I could only imagine the horror of doing all of that with kids.
Since then, we have changed our "holiday plan of attack". We pick a night the week of Christmas to spend with my Mom and family complete with dinner, gifts, and fun time together. We go snowshoeing together as a "little family" on Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve lunch and gifts with my Dad and brothers and visit Grandma Bell. Then it is back home for naps and relaxing. Christmas Eve night we spend at Seth's parents house where we eat dinner with the whole family, have our gift-exchange and usually read/reinact/watch the nativity story (though we weren't able to stick around long enough for that this year). Then it is home to our house to open a new Christmas book (we get a new one each year) and put on our new Christmas PJ's (for the kids at least) before heading off to bed so Santa doesn't skip our house.
Christmas morning is our "little family" time. We check out all the cool stuff that Santa has left for us, open our gifts from each other, put together anything that needs putting together, eat our Christmas stocking oranges and spend time enjoying one another. Then we get showered and dressed and head out to Grandma Tate's for Christmas brunch where we hopefully see Seth's family. After socializing, eating and finding our stocking there, we head off to Grandma Colleen's Christmas brinch where we see my Mom and family. Seth usually has to go in to work Christmas afternoon, so we hang out at Grandma Colleen's until the kids are ready for naps and then we go home. Christmas night all of the families are invited to our house for games, food and playing with the new toys. This way, grandparents can see what the kids got from Santa, the kids can play with all their new stuff, we can spend casual time with family, and the kids can go to bed when they are ready!
We visit Grandpa Checketts during the week following Christmas since it is such a long drive to Ogden.
I really love our Christmas traditions. I love that we spend quality time with each family. I love that opening presents spans more than just one day so the kids get really excited about every present they get because they aren't on overload. I love that Christmas day is fun and special!
There are a couple of new traditions that I want to try out next year and chances are if I blog them now, I will remember them when we get to that point.
-Christmas Eve Eve family sleepover under the tree. Watch Christmas movies, listen to Christmas music and eat yummy munchies. Leave the tree lit all night and sleep in sleeping bags.
-Christmas Morning quiche. Since we go to 2 Christmas brunches, I have never thought to make Christmas breakfast, but we never end up getting anywhere until after 11 and then we are all starving! Plus the kids don't eat well at Grandma's anyway - too much else to do.
-Leave something out for Santa. We have never been on top of it enough to leave cookies or anything for Santa, but this year we put out reindeer food Morgan got from preschool and it was really fun.
Do you have any traditions that you love? What are they?
Our first Christmas together, Seth and I went dutifully to visit each family on Christmas. By each family, I mean - Seth's Mom, Dad and Siblings, Seth's Grandma Tate, my Grandma Colleen and Grandpa TM, my Mom, Dad and siblings (my parents were still married at the time), my Grandma Bell, my Grandpa Bell, Seth's Grandpa Checketts (in Ogden), and Seth's Grandma Checketts (near Ogden). By the time we stumbled back to our apartment late Christmas night, I burst into tears and told Seth that I would never spend my Christmas like that ever again! We spent 30-45 minutes at each place we went and felt rushed the whole time we were there so we didn't spend quality time with anyone. And...this was before we had kids, so I could only imagine the horror of doing all of that with kids.
Since then, we have changed our "holiday plan of attack". We pick a night the week of Christmas to spend with my Mom and family complete with dinner, gifts, and fun time together. We go snowshoeing together as a "little family" on Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve lunch and gifts with my Dad and brothers and visit Grandma Bell. Then it is back home for naps and relaxing. Christmas Eve night we spend at Seth's parents house where we eat dinner with the whole family, have our gift-exchange and usually read/reinact/watch the nativity story (though we weren't able to stick around long enough for that this year). Then it is home to our house to open a new Christmas book (we get a new one each year) and put on our new Christmas PJ's (for the kids at least) before heading off to bed so Santa doesn't skip our house.
Christmas morning is our "little family" time. We check out all the cool stuff that Santa has left for us, open our gifts from each other, put together anything that needs putting together, eat our Christmas stocking oranges and spend time enjoying one another. Then we get showered and dressed and head out to Grandma Tate's for Christmas brunch where we hopefully see Seth's family. After socializing, eating and finding our stocking there, we head off to Grandma Colleen's Christmas brinch where we see my Mom and family. Seth usually has to go in to work Christmas afternoon, so we hang out at Grandma Colleen's until the kids are ready for naps and then we go home. Christmas night all of the families are invited to our house for games, food and playing with the new toys. This way, grandparents can see what the kids got from Santa, the kids can play with all their new stuff, we can spend casual time with family, and the kids can go to bed when they are ready!
We visit Grandpa Checketts during the week following Christmas since it is such a long drive to Ogden.
I really love our Christmas traditions. I love that we spend quality time with each family. I love that opening presents spans more than just one day so the kids get really excited about every present they get because they aren't on overload. I love that Christmas day is fun and special!
There are a couple of new traditions that I want to try out next year and chances are if I blog them now, I will remember them when we get to that point.
-Christmas Eve Eve family sleepover under the tree. Watch Christmas movies, listen to Christmas music and eat yummy munchies. Leave the tree lit all night and sleep in sleeping bags.
-Christmas Morning quiche. Since we go to 2 Christmas brunches, I have never thought to make Christmas breakfast, but we never end up getting anywhere until after 11 and then we are all starving! Plus the kids don't eat well at Grandma's anyway - too much else to do.
-Leave something out for Santa. We have never been on top of it enough to leave cookies or anything for Santa, but this year we put out reindeer food Morgan got from preschool and it was really fun.
Do you have any traditions that you love? What are they?
A Season of Joy
We have had such a wonderful Christmas season. We had to carve out little pieces of time to celebrate and enjoy our favorite traditions before Christmas because Seth's last final wasn't until the 17th and then he worked 6 12-hour shifts in a row so he could have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. I was equally busy trying to get everything ready for Christmas by myself with 2 kids and a giant belly in tow, not to mention running a freelance national PR campaign for the holidays. Here are some of our pre-Christmas highlights...
The annual Tate family Christmas party was on the 13th. We always have it at Grandma Tate's ward since the family has grown too big for any house. Morgan was a darling wiseman in the nativity (which includes duplicates or more of every part and still a rather large audience looking on).
This year, it took me so long to get everything decorated that I may just leave it all up until the middle of January (though the tree had to come down because it was dead and dry)! 
Our tree started out beautifully decorated - which I didn't take any pictures of - well-lit everywhere with ornaments staggered and lovely. That lasted about 10 minutes. Morgan and Chloe loved decorating so much that they wanted to keep doing it constantly the whole season long. 
My snowmen ornaments were grouped into families - all the ear-muff-wearing-ones together with a Mom, Dad, kids and even grandparents.
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The first couple of days, I put things back in their spaced and aesthetically pleasing locations, but eventually I just gave up and enjoyed the relization that this is life with kids! My kids like to sort and organize and make logical connections (I wonder where they get that from) so why wouldn't they do the same with Christmas ornaments?
We picked out our Christmas tree the first week of December...it looked so much smaller this year on our big car! :)
The annual Tate family Christmas party was on the 13th. We always have it at Grandma Tate's ward since the family has grown too big for any house. Morgan was a darling wiseman in the nativity (which includes duplicates or more of every part and still a rather large audience looking on).Chloe loved her gift from the gift exchange. She carries her little red purse with her everywhere. This proved to be a wonderful thing when I took her with me to the Dr's office and she sat perfectly in the waiting room and office putting on lipgloss, eating the treats she had stocked and playing with her baby.
I love my house at Christmastime. I love my decorations and want to leave them up for as long as possible.
This year, it took me so long to get everything decorated that I may just leave it all up until the middle of January (though the tree had to come down because it was dead and dry)! Our tree started out beautifully decorated - which I didn't take any pictures of - well-lit everywhere with ornaments staggered and lovely. That lasted about 10 minutes. Morgan and Chloe loved decorating so much that they wanted to keep doing it constantly the whole season long. My snowmen ornaments were grouped into families - all the ear-muff-wearing-ones together with a Mom, Dad, kids and even grandparents. The mittens were all hung in a row.
And Santa and his reindeer became a favorite toy to fly around the living room so he didn't spend much time actually on the tree.
The first couple of days, I put things back in their spaced and aesthetically pleasing locations, but eventually I just gave up and enjoyed the relization that this is life with kids! My kids like to sort and organize and make logical connections (I wonder where they get that from) so why wouldn't they do the same with Christmas ornaments? A few days after we got the tree up, a strand of lights right in the middle of the tree burned out - so annoying - and I didn't get up the energy to replace it until Christmas Eve. So, this was our tree for most of the season... 
I don't have a picture of my Mom's nativity, but every time we have gone over there during the season, Morgan has been immediately drawn to it. After we left her house the first time, my mom found all of the animals inside of the nativity close to the baby Jesus in the manger. The next time we were over, she watched more carefully as Morgan , again, placed each animal inside the stable, close to baby Jesus. She asked him why all the animals were in the stable and he replied that the animals huddle close to baby Jesus to keep him warm. Every time visiting since, we watch on with happy hearts as Morgan rearranges the animals to keep baby Jesus warm in his manger - the real reason for joy this holiday season!
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