21 (months) is so FUN!

I can't believe my little boy is 21 months old! Wow! Time sure goes fast! It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing our little miracle home from the hospital. A little about the sweet boy who keeps me on my toes. . .

David and his rocks :)

-Over the past few months David has begun talking SO much!!! I can understand what he is saying most of the time now. He not only says words I can understand, but he often uses multiple word sentences/phrases! "Thank you mommy for the milk" or "Where daddy go?" are just a few examples of what I hear from this little guy!

-His play has become so fun to watch. Every morning when Brett leaves for work he asks, "where daddy go?" To which I tell him daddy went to work and he'll be home later. Well, just a few days ago David was playing. He picked up a book and the box for the Wii Fit and started walking toward the door. He turned around and said, "bye mommy." So I asked, "where are you going?" And of course, what did he say. . . "work!"

Playing with the cousins, Maya and Joel

-He LOVES to color! This is probably one of his FAVORITE activities. He's always pointing to the top of the book case and telling me "color please!"

-He enjoys cooking with mom, helping in the kitchen (or making a mess), and sweeping the floor.

-He's a climber! He's into EVERYTHING. . . he climbs bookcases, on top of couches, onto the counter, and will move a chair wherever he needs to get whatever he wants. That little boy sure keeps me on my toes.

David with the football

-He is still a HUGE fan of balls. . . baseball, football, basketball. Give the kid a ball and he will hit, kick, or throw it. Put him in a gym and he'll find the basketball hoop, run under it and stand for hours yelling "b ball!"

-He loves his sister (yes, still a little too much). He always wants to know where Becca is and has been known to try to pick her up from the floor, her bouncer, her swing, or pull her off the couch. He takes toys to her and throws balls to her. He sings her songs and gives her a pacifier when she cries.

-David loves food and will just about eat anything. Just a few favorites--milk, bananas, yogurt, pasta, applesauce, apples, grapes, cheese, dried fruit, fruit snacks and oranges.

-Things that were once too cool for David have become cool once more because of his sister--the highchair, the pack and play, the crib, the bouncer, the swing, etc. The problem is. . . he can climb in and out of them all on his own.

-He loves books and songs. Some favorite books. . . "How Do I Love You?" and "Feet Are Not For Kicking" and his current favorite song "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam"

My little character. . . pulling up his pants! Love the "grandpa" look!

Well, that's all I have time for now because David is trying to help me. . . We LOVE this little boy and are so happy to have been blessed with him in our lives!

Rebecca--2 months!

Our sweet Rebecca is 2 months! At her 2 month appointment she weighed a whopping 10 lbs. 3 oz. (just 11 oz smaller than David at 2 months, even though he started 2 lbs heavier!) and measured 22.25 inches long! She's our little chunk-a-monk! Her stats put her in the 75th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height on her age adjusted growth chart! In the last 2 months she's worn 3 sizes of baby clothes--Preemie, Newborn, and is now fitting very well in 0-3 month clothes! Over the last month she has had a definite improvement in the spitting up (although the doctor tells me that it will get worse again) and she seems to do better with the gas. We also figured out that she has an allergy to baby wipes (that's where the nasty diaper rash came from.) We've tried several brands/types of wipes and without fail within a couple of diaper changes she'd start to welt, so instead we're using a good old washcloth and water. Rebecca isn't a fabulous sleeper, so during the last month we moved her into the crib, back into our room, and now she's sleeping a combination of places! She usually starts in the crib, spends sometime in our room and occasionally sleeps in the recliner with mom or in the bouncer. . . whatever it takes for mom to get some sleep so I can survive work each day! She is getting stronger and stronger. She lifts her head up when she is laying on her belly and even kicks her legs and scoots around a little (completely unintentional and not very far). Rebecca started smiling while awake this month and also began cooing (I LOVE when babies start cooing!) She also started going to the babysitter and is doing very well. She took her first bottle at the babysitter's and did great (that girl likes to eat!) She loves her bath time, still sounds like a piggy when she eats, and is THE NOISIEST sleeper EVER! We love this sweet little girl.

Meeting Grandpa Oliver for the first time.

David and Rebecca with Grandma and Grandpa Oliver

Napping with Uncle Cody

Becca's Blessing

November 6th, Brett was able to bless our beautiful daughter. We were so happy to have many members of our family join us for this joyous occasion (and definitely missed those who weren't able to make it)! It was so fun (as always) to see everyone. My mom made Becca's beautiful blessing dress and she looked ADORABLE!

Becca and my mom

All of Brett's family was able to make it. This was the first time we'd all been together since adding Becca and the twins to the family! :)

Three generations.

Our little family

"Ween"

Finally, a Halloween post! We had an enjoyable Halloween this year (at least the kids and I did! Brett is a good sport and dresses up because he loves us!) We went to the ward halloween trunk-or-treat Friday night and I took David trick or treating with a friend and her little girl Monday. We had a good time. David thought it was pretty amazing that he could knock on people's doors and they'd give him candy! By the end of the night he became a pro trick-or-treater! He would run to the door, yell "Ween" (his version of Halloween), knock, when they opened say "treat" (couldn't get the whole trick or treat out), collect his goodies, say "thank you" and "bye," then run to the next house. He thought it was so neat that "Ween" has been the game we have played ever since. Even in the doctor's office this week for Rebecca's 2 month appointment (update on that later) he would either knock on the office door and yell "ween" hoping someone would answer or climb in the cupboard under the sink, close the door, yell "ween" and then open the door and laugh! I keep trying to explain to him that Halloween only comes once a year and it's done for the year, but we haven't figured that out yet!

Our first month as a family of 4!

I can't believe our baby girl is one month old already! It was weird to hit my due date and Rebecca's 1 month "birthday" on the same day. When you're pregnant you want that last month to go by quickly, but with a new infant I find myself thinking "come on time, just slow down!!!" Our little princess has just GROWN over the last month! She started out at 5 lbs. 8 oz. and dropped to 5 lbs. 1 oz. before we left the hospital. Then she decided she was going to make up for lost time and put on over 3 lbs. weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs. 3 oz. at one month! I'm convinced that if she had gone to term she would have been a chunker!

One picture that I wish I had taken with David was a picture of me before we went to the hospital so I could have had a picture at my most pregnant with him. I was determined this time to get a picture when I went into labor with Rebecca. While I'm grateful we didn't stop to take a picture because we literally had no extra time. I'm a little bummed out that I didn't get that photo this time either, so instead I got a picture of me and the little girl on our "due date."

A little more about the happenings of this last month. . . Rebecca pretty much slept nonstop the first couple of weeks. She really wouldn't even wake up to eat, so I was having to wake her every 3 hours and do what I could to keep her awake so she could eat. I guess we did a good enough job because she is growing, growing, growing. She now has some awake times during the day, but I would say her awake/sleep patterns are pretty similar to a brand new baby right now (which I guess makes sense since she just hit "full term" as far as her gestational age). She has, however, gotten some good strength over the last month and will hold her head up for short periods of time, grab onto things with her hands, and push with her legs to "climb" up your shoulder (something David also did when he was little). She gives us an occasional smile when she is sleeping, but when she is awake Brett says she looks scared all the time. He attributes it to the fact that her brother is always loving on her a little too much, trying to pick her up, and giving/throwing things at her. Our first month has not come with out its fair share of new baby trials. . . Rebecca is not a fabulous night sleeper and I'm not sure whether it's the reflux or gas, two things which have been a bit of a challenge for us this last month. She is quite the "spitter" and we are trying a number of things to help with that and make the little one a little more comfortable. She is also a very gassy baby and doesn't really enjoy that part of life outside the womb either. We also have had some nasty diaper rash which is starting to improve, but takes some major vigilance on my part (which is harder than it sounds when you are sleep deprived, chasing a toddler, and changing 2 bums!). Rebecca loves to be held and is definitely a cuddler. . . she doesn't like to be put down. She doesn't mind tummy time when she can get it without being mauled by her big brother. She also enjoys the swing and "babywearing" in a wrap which is wonderful when I need my hands free. Our little Rebecca is a beautiful little one and we are having so much fun with the pink, flowers, bows, and everything girly (at least I am!) .

A little update on David. . . can't leave him out! He's still a little character! He loves his little sister (maybe a little too much) and enjoys being a big helper. He got quite crazy for awhile after she came trying to get attention. He also developed a few new naughty behaviors. Luckily, that has all calmed down a little bit as the month has passed. He loves to wear anything and everything on his head and will tell you "hat." He gives his little sister hugs and kisses all the time and also tries to pick her up, carry her, and hold her. After Rebecca came David decided there was too much excitement going on and stopped sleeping through the night. Most night he is up at least once and getting him to stay in his bed has been a challenge, but it is improving.

Brett and I are surviving being parents of two! It is busy and challenging, but we love our little ones and feel so blessed to have both of them! Brett has been busy with football, but he loves to come home and cuddle the kids. He's always been a little afraid of having a girl (too many hormones I think), but I think he is already wrapped around Rebecca's little finger. I have been loving being home with my two sweet kids, but I start work again in just over 2 weeks. I'm not really looking forward to leaving both my kids, but I am happy that I have a job that I enjoy and can help provide for our little family. Well, that's all that's in this tired, but happy mama of 2, so farewell for now!

Our Little Princess

An update on Rebecca's first month with our family to come. . . in the meantime, enjoy a little bit of our princess.

Unexpected. . .

Summer is over and the school year has begun again! I haven't posted quite as much of our summer adventures as I would have liked, but that will have to wait for another day. . . This month is only half over, but so far it has been quite "unexpected!" The month started out by welcoming 2 new nephews into the world, Hunter and Jaxson. We got a call on Aug. 30th that Brett's sister's water had broken and she was in the hospital. She was 30 weeks+ pregnant with twin boys and the doctors were able to hold her off long enough to give her some antibiotics to ward off any infection and steroids to prepare the boys' lungs. The boys were delivered Sept. 1st, 9 1/2 weeks early. That weekend we were able to make a trip to Pocatello to see those tiny, sweet things! Two weeks out from their very early arrival they are doing very well. They are off all of their oxygen and IVs and only have their feeding tubes left. They have gained a little weight and are so strong and handsome!

Jaxson and Hunter

Just six short days later on Sept. 7th I woke up at about 2:15 AM with a little "indigestion." I tried going to the bathroom and going back to bed several times. I finally realized that I was having some contractions. I'd had a little "scare" the Friday before with some contractions and had been told by the doctor to drink water, eat some protein and put my feet up. Those things worked for me then (I had even had an ultrasound already scheduled that afternoon because I was measuring small and when I went to the ultrasound everything looked GREAT and no signs of contractions) and I hadn't had any contractions since so I decided I had just overdone it the previous day at school (it had been our first day with students). I decided I would just try to relax, drink some water and try to eat something. I grabbed a big glass of water and headed off to the tub. I soaked in a warm bath for a little while and drank my water. Unfortunately, I realized that these contractions were not going away, but instead were getting pretty intense. I got out of the tub and decided I better start timing before I called the doctor so I could let him know what was going on. When I started timing my contractions and found that they were 2-2 1/2 minutes apart and lasting 45-60 seconds I started to feel a little concerned. I woke Brett and called the doctor. When the doctor called me back he told me I'd better get to the hospital and get checked out. Because of the insanely early hour, the fact that I was only 35 1/2 weeks, and that I had only been laboring for an hour and a half we decided to not panic anyone yet, take David with us, and just "figure out what was going on." Brett asked if he could take a shower and I told him no, we just needed to get to the hospital. He asked what we needed to pack and I again told him nothing, we just needed to go now. I needed help dressing (that should have been a sign!) and could no longer walk or talk through my contractions (and hardly in between). They were coming fast and hard. I tried to just keep myself relaxed and breathe through each contraction resting as much as I could in between. Brett told me I could squeeze his hand as we drove, but soon made the comment, "Not that hard! I have to drive!"

We got to the hospital just after 4 am. I got wheeled up to labor and delivery (no chance I was walking now) and with a great deal of help got as changed as I could. The nurse asked me all sorts of questions to check me in and I tried answering as best I could with nods, shakes of my head, and grunts (the contractions were on top of each other now). One question I clearly remember was, "if we keep you, what are your plans for pain relief?" My answer was something to the effect of "don't know" although Brett claims it wasn't in so many words! I have to admit my thoughts at the time were more like "take this stinkin' pain away right now! What was I ever thinking wanting to do this naturally! If I have to do this for 12 more hours I WILL die!" The nurse finally got to the point where she was going to check me. She checked my cervix and then told me to wait a minute because she was going to have another nurse come in and check. The second nurse came in and checked and their conversation went something like, Nurse 1, "what do you feel?" Nurse 2, "the bag." N1, "that's what I thought." After which the nurse informed me I was complete and the only thing keeping the baby in was my bag of waters (which had not ruptured). I questioningly said "no meds then?" to which the nurse kindly told me that pain medication would not be an option and I knew I had better suck it up and deal with it because I had to hang on to my wits until we got this baby here! Brett and David were good to hold my hand and give me some much needed support. At this point in time we realized that we were not leaving the hospital without a baby, so Brett called both our parents to let them know we were having a baby NOW. I tried to suggest some options for David, but Brett just told me we didn't have any time. The nurse reassured me that they would work something out and started making arrangements. The doctor arrived, said hi, and went and changed. The nurse got a toy from pediatrics and another nurse came and took David to the doctor's lounge. The doctor came in, broke my water, and 1/2 a push later our daughter entered the world (45 minutes after we arrived at the hospital). After the doctor finished and I was cleaned up a little Brett left and got David. David was SO in awe of his little sister (and has been ever since). . . it was love at first sight. The nurse told me later that she just prayed the whole time that my water wouldn't break because she knew if it had she would be delivering the baby and the hospital really "frowns" upon that! I now am pretty grateful that we live close to a hospital and that I didn't let Brett take any extra time in getting ready or we very well could have had a baby at home or in the car. But most of all, I am so grateful that our little girl came into the world as healthy as she did!

Since I was only in my 35th week we had a little extra care at the hospital. Rebecca was doing so well when she arrived that the staff gave us an hour of family time before they took her off to the NICU. They kept her there for a 6 hour observation (standard for all preterm babies). She had a little trouble at first regulating her body temperature and had to be put in a warming bed. After a few hours of that they took her out and she was able to keep her temperature up. Since she did so well they let her come out of the NICU to postpartum with me after her observation. She had a second observation on day 2 because she had some spit up that she inhaled and stopped breathing for a little bit. She turned blue and luckily the nurse had just come in. The nurse quickly took her away back to the NICU, suctioning her out the whole way there. She spit up a good amount of stuff and by the time they got there she had pinked up again and was breathing fine. They kept her for just under an hour to watch her, but again she was able to come back to me without any further intervention. Also, since I hadn't been tested for group B strep and with Rebecca being preterm they had to keep us for 48 hours in the hospital to monitor and make sure we were all okay. It was nice not to have to worry about anything (cooking, cleaning, a 1 1/2 year old running around demanding attention), but by the end of day 2 I was a little tired of the confinement and was anxious to get home.

David has been VERY good with Rebecca. He LOVES her and is so proud of his new little sister. He wants to know where she is ALL the time, loves to give her hugs and kisses, and tries to be such a big helper.

He also loves all of his sisters "stuff"--hats, clothes, bouncer, swing, carseat, etc.

He hasn't shown any jealousy of her, but he is starting to do some crazy things to get mom and dad's attention! He is talking A LOT more in the last week and a half (I guess he knows he's the BIG brother now!) and has become such a big boy (where did my baby go?). The other day we had prayers over breakfast and then I got up to get something while he was eating at the table. I heard him talking and turned around to see him with his arms folded saying, "Bless Daddy, bless Mommy, bless Becca. . ." SO CUTE! We are so blessed to have two beautiful, healthy, wonderful children! I can't even begin to express how wonderful life is right now. . . even if it is a little unexpected!

Making Room For Sister

It's crazy to think that in a couple of months I'll have 2 sweet children to blog about. . . I feel like I'm struggling trying to keep up right now with one!! :) I think I've officially hit that part of pregnancy where you're exhausted again, which is odd because I've also hit the point in my pregnancy where people also are starting to ask if I'm expecting. I thought that I carried pretty small with David, but I am DEFINITELY smaller this time around. Pregnancy, however, feels the same whether you have a BIG belly or a little one! :) It's just harder for other people to notice if you're on the small side. I am now just under 2 months until my due date and it's coming quickly.
We are continuing to try and prepare for little one #2. Luckily there is a lot less that you need when the second baby comes along. We did, however, have to consider what we were going to sleep 2 kids in as David is still in the crib. My sister is the queen of free, so I quickly consulted her to get her super skills on board. She scored me a free toddler bed (she's the best!) and that was the end of the debate. We decided we would just keep David in the crib and put the little girl in the pack and play until David was ready to go to the toddler bed. I figured it would be awhile since he wasn't even trying to climb out of the crib. Well, last night at 2:30 AM I guess he decided it was time to make room for sister! We were awoken to a loud bang followed by screaming, a crash and more screaming/crying. Brett went in to check things out and found David had climbed out of the crib, knocked the lamp down and was trapped between the lamp and the door shaking. He calmed him down, rocked him for a little while, and wondering if he really knew what he had done put him back in the crib. Sure enough. . . as soon as Brett came back to bed we heard another thud and more crying. We both hurried into his room to find that he had climbed out of the crib again. I guess it wasn't a fluke! Luckily we had set up the toddler bed so that there was one less thing to do once little sister got here and so it was ready to go. We quickly moved a few things around and closed the closet doors to make sure it was safe and started the journey of trying to teach a 1 1/2 year old to sleep in a toddler bed. It took us all some time to get back to sleep and I had to put David back in bed 3 times (at least it was only 3) last night, but he finished out the night in his toddler bed and I found him still in it sleeping soundly this morning. We also managed to do a nap in the toddler bed today which went fairly well (some crying, screaming, running into the door, banging on the door/walls, and mom having to put him back in his bed 1 time), but we're working on it! Luckily he hasn't learned to open doors yet or this would be much more challenging!!

This is the quilt, crib sheet, and crib skirt I made for the little girl

A little update on our summer. . . We took a fun week and a half trip to Northern Idaho this last month. We stayed in a condo in Blanchard (near Coeur D'Alene) for a week, split our trip up and back into 2 days camping just north of Salmon on the Idaho/Montana border and had a fun time. Here are some pictures from that.
Brett and David at Cat Tales Zoological Park in Spokane, WA

Me and David at Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, ID

All of us at the Wolf People Store in Cocolala, ID with the baby wolf (only 8 weeks old). David LOVED the wolves, but tried to hug them to death and wrestle with them.

David camping. . . He LOVES it, can you tell?

My boys in their flannel and jeans, aren't they handsome campers?

Mini golfing at the condo. 1, 2, 3, go. . . YEAH!!! Golf is now David's favorite sport.

Hiking at Tubbs Hill by Lake Coeur D'Alene.

We also have worked on some projects around here. . . cleaned the garage, re-landscaped the front yard, taking care of the garden/yard, visiting with family, etc. Summer has been busy and fun, but school will be back in session soon!

As for our little man, he will be 18 months on Saturday! Here's some of his cuteness. . .
Making noodles with mom; such the helper and such the cheese.

Lookin' cute. He LOVES to be a big boy and sit at the table or do ANYTHING we are doing.

Wearing some cute sunglasses we found while cleaning the garage.

Some other "milestones"
-He has 9 teeth (including 3 molars) and is continuing to work on getting more. That last molar has been a difficult one and the eye teeth also keep coming down and teasing us!
-He learned to climb out of his crib. . . and also tries climbing everything else! He is BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! But I wouldn't have it any other way.
-He is talking more and more, but most of it is still prompted. He is pretty good at using more, please, thank you, hi, bye, milk, snack, and other such phrases that get him what he wants. He also repeats just about EVERYTHING we say (better make sure we use appropriate language!)
-He LOVES to sing and I'll find him singing to himself, especially "Head, toes, eyes, nose" (Head, shoulders, knees, and toes) or "Baby bee" (Baby Bumblebee).
-He loves books and is sitting longer and longer to read with mom.
-He is finally going to be "official" for nursery. We've been taking him and staying with him for the last couple months because we have ended up in the hallway anyway and our nursery leaders are FABULOUS to let us come in and at least play instead of walk the halls. The last couple of weeks they've even taken him for parts without us there and he's done really well (other than he can be a bit of a bully when he wants toys the other kids have--I like to think this is not unusual for a 1 1/2 year old, but we are working hard on the sharing). But as far as leaving mom and dad, he could care less. It will be strange to finally sit through a Sunday School lesson again.

We sure love our little guy and are so excited to be adding a little gal to our little family soon!