Thursday, May 31, 2007

Unexpected Date with Jeff

When Jeff walked in on Tuesday night after playing soccer with ice bags in his hand, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. When I asked him what happened, he said, "It's not good." He blew out his knee and can barely walk. This is 2 days into his staying home so he can take care of his wife who has just had a C-section. The irony of the situation hit me hard. Luckily, my recovery has been pretty smooth, so I was able to chuckle a little at the situation. He wasn't so amused. Word spread pretty quickly among friends and neighbors and Emily and Dallin have been taken care of during the day so that we can BOTH recover. The first day we were pretty pathetic, and I had to smile at us sitting on opposite couches watching "Finding Neverland." (Great movie, by the way!!) We were able to chat, read books and just relax. Now, it is starting to get a little old. I want to be able to take care of my husband and my household. He feels bad when I have to get up to get something that we forgot. But I would rather do it myself than watch him hobble across the room. I am feeling pretty good, and tomorrow I am hoping to feel up to going to the park, just to get out of the house. I hope Jeff feels better soon. As for now, we just enjoyed the extra time together.

This last picture is more for me and Jeff than anyone else. We both cracked up when Dallin was holding Bryce and asked for my water. This has been a joke of ours since Dallin was a baby because every time I started nursing, I immediately asked for water. Jeff soon learned and would bring me water without me having to ask. I am always amazed at what kids pick up on.

Monday, May 28, 2007

A week in the life of Bryce...

welcome to my world little man! It has really gone by quickly. The stay at the hospital really was wonderful. My nurses treated me like royalty, the food was great, and I had my laptop, a few books, visits from friends and very little unwanted interruptions. The night before I went home, my sweet kids came for a visit and I was reminded why I needed to be in the hospital to recover. Thank Heavens for a mother who was willing and able to take care of Dallin and Emily. I will admit that the drive to my house was very scary. I didn't know what to expect or how my kids would react knowing that I was home, but couldn't do very much for them. They are absolutely in love with Bryce and I love watching them with him. Emily is much softer than I thought she would be, thanks to all of her practice on Baby Alice.



My dad was at my house when I got there on Thursday and that was awesome!! He was very tired, but was able to spend a lot of time with the kids. He asked them for a kiss every night before bed, and it was so sweet to see him with him. I don't think he will ever know how much it meant to me to have him there. We went to the park on Friday night for a birthday party for a friend and it was beautiful weather. Dallin rode his scooter, and Emily finally was able to wear her "Ariel water shoes" in the water. My mom kept checking on the kids, so I was able to relax. It was also fun to see Bryce next to his "buddy" Spencer. They are only 2 months apart. We know they will be good friends because they have no choice!




On Saturday, Jeff's parents came into town and we had fun teaching them all about the WII. We will be sad when we have to give it back to Erik. It sure has been a lot of fun to have at our house. Jeff called me outside to show me a "surprise." I had no idea what he was going to show me. I walked out the door and saw Dallin cruising down the sidewalk without training wheels!! He had the biggest grin on his face! He was so proud! I had no clue that's what they were outside doing, but Jeff said he learned in less than 10 minutes. We had taken off the training wheels in September and he tried for a few days and got frustrated. So, he got a scooter for Christmas and that is all he rides. Now, he can ride his bike!! It was such a cool surprise!!

The Meltdown- My poor mom had the bad luck of taking me shopping. She had brought me a new skirt that actually fit, and I had cute new shoes that Sarah had been sweet enough to buy me(that match hers!), and I thought surely I would be able to find a shirt at Target that would fit. Wrong!! 5 days after having a c-section is not the time to buy new clothes. I started bawling in the Target dressing room when nothing fit. My mom was very sweet and tried to reassure me, but I was very depressed. I left very upset, just reminding myself about the cute new shoes.

Sunday went perfect. I found a shirt in my closet that I had forgotten about and all was well. :-) It was so neat to have both sets of Bryce's grandparents at the blessing. Jeff did a wonderful job and it was just a beautiful blessing. Every time I look at Bryce, I am just still amazed that he is even here. After the blessing we had a few good friends over to share in the joy with us. What a great Sunday. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to my mom and dad, but I am so grateful they were able to share this week with us. My mom has truly been an angel, the kids had an awesome time with her and never put up a fight. Emily especially loved being with Grandma and it was sweet watching them together.






Today, we spent the morning searching for a Wii with no luck. Then we went to downtown Portland for a great lunch and took Dallin's bike for a spin on the waterfront. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed the weather. We took Grandma and Grandma Marker to the airport for another sad goodbye. I am so glad they were able to be with us also.


We ended the day with a picnic in the park with Sarah and her family. I just sat and chatted with Sarah and Nikki while the kids played. I didn't actually see Nikki's baby because he was in the carrier and I didn't move from my seat, but our boys are only 2 weeks apart so it will be fun to have the 3 babies together this summer. Now, Jeff has taken the week off and he has already started laundry- good job!! I look forward to a great week with my new little family of 5! Reality won't set in for one more week. So far, Bryce is a sweet little baby. He is eating and sleeping well, let's just pray it lasts!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

And More Pictures





Still here...

Okay, so I am giving up on trying to figure out how to resize these images. I am sending out an email and giving my blog address. So, here are a bunch of new pictures from the hospital. Things are still going well, but I am a little slow moving. We had a rough first night (especially Jeff) but last night went better. Bryce is a sweet baby and I love having him next to me.




Monday, May 21, 2007

Bryce Thomas is here!

I am going to keep this quick, but I wanted to put up a pic. I can't quite figure out the imaging program on the laptop, so I will only put up my favorite!

Today has been amazing!! I was very nervous about the spinal and the nurse and anestethis were so great and patient with me. Jeff held my hand and kept me comforted. The baby cried right away which is of course the most beautiful sound in the world. The best part is that he has been with me the whole time. I have not had to be in recovery on my own as I was with the other 2. He looks a lot like his brother and sister and he is about the same size. He is 6lb 12 oz and 20 inches long. He is just perfect!! I feel great and I hope the rest of my recovery goes this well. The kids were adorable with their new brother and I have seen a couple of friends already. (Thanks Carrie for watching Sarah's kids so she could be here!) Alice looks so big next to Bryce.

Okay, I will update more later.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

I am having a Baby tomorrow!!!!

Wow, I am in a state of shock right now. This post is probably going to be completely random, but I need to put some thoughts down on paper. Poor Jeff, about 10 minutes before my C-section with Emily, I just started freaking out and crying. I had been totally calm and then all of a sudden it hit me that I was about to have a major surgery. This fear is starting to hit me a little bit now, so I am trying to focus on all the positive things.

First of all, what a miracle this entire pregnancy has been. I still can't believe we didn't have to have any fertility meds for this baby. It has been the most noneventful, boring pregnancy you can imagine, and I am so grateful. He is an active little kicker and I love knowing he is there and I can't wait to meet him.

Dallin is so excited to have a baby brother. This is special for me too because it reminds me of all the feelings I had when I had him. He is such a sweet, loving little boy. He is really nervous for my "belly to be cut open" but I just keep reminding him that I don't feel it. :-) I know he will be a great help when the baby comes.


Emily has been practicing on all the little newborns around us (sorry Sarah) and I think she is finally learning how to be soft. :-) She is going to be the second mommy and I can't wait to see the love in her eyes for her baby brother. She has been so much fun and growing up so quickly. (I just wish we could figure out her sleeping issues, but not much we can do right now but be patient.)

Jeff is an amazing dad and I can't wait to see him with another little boy. He really steps up and fills in where I just can't. And he does it without a word of complaint.

My mom is here and that is such a blessing. She is already treating me like a princess and not letting me do very much. The kids just love her and Dallin ran into her arms at the airport. She is my angel and takes care of me and the kids. It would be difficult to have another baby without her. I hope she knows how loved and appreciated she is.

I will admit I am still a little nervous to go from 2 to 3 kids, but I am excited to see how it all works out. I can't wait to meet my little co-habitator and see his cute face. If I were to guess I am sure he looks just like his brother and sister did. Jeff sure has strong genes!!

We have had a busy 2 weeks. We have spent a lot of time at the park enjoying the nice weather.


Doesn't Sarah look like a teenager? She amazes me!

We also went to a farm, and Emily was so darling feeding the baby bunnies.



After the farm, we went to a different park, where I ended up staying for 4 hours. It was so beautiful and the kids were having such a good time, I didn't see any reason to leave. I think I saw most of my closest friends at some point during the day, so it was one big party! Emily spent most of the time in the mud and loved it. Dallin hung out in the sand and also rode his scooter and played with the rocket that Sarah was smart enough to bring. It was truly a wonderful time. Sometimes I think I try to do too much in one day, but this day just worked out perfectly. I am grateful I have such good friends. I feel very lucky. I was also able to make about 10 meals to put in the freezer because one of my good friends, Kirsten, was kind enough to help me assemble all the meals. I feel a little more prepared now. :-)



I had a great day yesterday, going with good friends to get a manicure and a pedicure. I have finally officially stopped biting my nails after 29 years of the disgusting habit (yeah me!!).


So, sorry this was so long. Wish me luck tomorrow! Any guesses to the weight of this baby? Dallin was 6lbs 1 oz and 19 1/2 inches long full term (I only gained 15 lbs). Emily was 6 lbs 12 oz and 17 3/4 inches long and was 2 weeks early. (I gained 23 lbs.) This pregnancy, I am one week early and I have gained a whopping 32 lbs-ugh!! So, what do you think? And, we are still taking last minute suggestions for the name.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Family Fun

I had a great weekend on Friday and Saturday, but didn't see my family much because I was at Time Out for Women. It was a wonderful, uplifting time. The kids had a great time with Jeff. So, yesterday and today I was really craving time with my hubby and my kids. Yesterday, we walked around the Portland Temple. Emily's favorite song right now is I love to see the temple, so it is great to be able to talk to her about it.




Today for Family Home Evening we decided to take the boat out for its first run this summer. The weather was beautiful and I was excited for it to just be the 4 of us. When we want to ski we bring another family and I love that too, but it is very rare that it is just us. I love the feeling of the wind on my face and the kids are just so happy on the boat. They took a spin in the tube and we went for ice cream after. (Vanilla frosties at Wendy's, ha ha!!) What an awesome time!






2 weeks from today, woo hoo!!