Cheating

This is cheating because all I'm going to do is add links to a few videos we've posted to youtube in the last couple of months.  Ahma and Grandpa have seen them, but for the rest of you, here they are.  I'm sure Ahma will sneak another peak at them all!

#3 having a conversation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGqOKe5HWLE&feature=g-upl

#3 enjoying tummy time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gcLazu0kw4&feature=g-upl

#1 and #2 getting along
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXuXMFOviSU&feature=g-upl

#1 and #2 jumping on pillows during a cold winters day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C29ctseG80Y&feature=g-upl

A few of these videos are proof that my two oldest children do get along, sometimes.  While not always perfect, each month they are getting better.  #1 often shares toys with #2 without even being prompted.  #1 and #2 now share a room and the other morning, #1 went into the spare room to get toys to play with until I got them, and he had put toys in #2's crib so he wouldn't be bored!

At the Request of Ahma

For those who don't know, son #1 had a pretty big speech delay.  At some point, around two and half, he finally started talking, mostly because we had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids taken out.  Seems cruel, but it was life changing for both him and us.  Because of the speech delay, Grandma came out as Ahma, and we thought it was too darn cute to ever try to correct.  It was then I realized just how lucky us first borns are, we get to decide for all the other grandchildren what our grandparents will be called.  I remember asking my mother's mom if I could call her Granny and it stuck.  See, we older kids have it so easy, said no one ever!  But this is one of the only perks I've come up with so far!

Okay, so now the point of this post.  Ahma requested I put this super sweet picture of all my boys up for the world to see.  So eat your heart out:

Colin Mitchell's Birth Story

Born 5/2/2012, 1:35am, 11lbs 12oz, 22.5in

I was terribly uncomfortable during this pregnancy.  I had pretty bad "morning" sickness the first seven weeks or so, slept poorly from 20 weeks on, had painful braxton hicks contractions starting at 18 weeks, and I felt huge which I know is a complaint everyone has.  I was so big that it was uncomfortable to sit up straight, including on the toilet, and as everyone knows, pregnant women spend a lot of time going to the bathroom.  To top off the aforementioned discomfort, a week and a half before my due date Connor and Oren came down with a terrible cold which we later learned was the flu.  They had high fevers and persistent, long lasting coughs.  I went from wanting the pregnancy to end, to hoping I would go past my due date so the boys would have more time to get better before we brought a newborn home into a cold stricken house.  As luck would have it, I came down with the flu as well.  I coughed so hard I pulled an abdominal muscle.  Did I mention I was still pregnant?  My muscles were already stretched to the max, so coughing with a huge uterus was made worse.  But, I got lucky and that healed.  Then, while still pregnant and having the flu, I coughed so much and intensely, I pulled a rib muscle.  How lucky can one girl be?!  And because I was pregnant I couldn't take any medication.  I was left to suffer.

My mom, thankfully was here for it all.  She drove up on April 20th and was here from the beginning of the boys illness.  May 1st was like any other day.  Spent the day with the boys.  Shawn was going to class during the day, he was taking his paramedic refresher course.  We ate dinner, got the kids in bed, and started watching Burn Notice with my mom and Shawn.  Around 9:45pm I thought my water broke.  Shawn posted it on Facebook and then I had doubts, and then I wondered what everyone would think if I had 'cried wolf" thanks to Shawn.  But, I was right and baby time was finally here.  I called the midwife and we agreed that we'd meet at the birth center at 11:30pm because Shawn thought the earlier the better.   He's always been worried that I'd wait to long and we'd have a baby in the car or at home.  At 10:30 I called the midwife back and told her we'd be leaving for the birth center ASAP because I had one hard contraction.  Oren's birth was so fast and I had driven into town (20 minutes) in hard labor that I knew I didn't want to do that again.

 

 

We arrived at the birth center (BC) at 11:15 and the midwives already had the tub filled.  Shawn got Enya playing and candles lit.  These two items were very important to me since we didn't really have time to get things organized like this when Oren was born.  After spending a little time in the tub, and contractions being regular, I decided to get out, I just wasn't "feeling" it.  I sat on the toilet for maybe 10 minutes and then decided I needed to get back into the tub.  And then of course time warps and I loose track of time.  I know when I got back into the tub I was in transition, that the baby was descending, and that I was uncomfortable.  I also know that I was happy this was coming to an end.  This labor and delivery was nearly identical to Oren's so I knew it wasn't going to take long.  Although fast labors are extremely intense, it's also nice to not be in pain for hours.

With a couple of pushes the head was out.  Then, the strangest thing happened again, my contractions stopped, just as they did with Oren.  This freaks me out again, and I got all crazy and asked the midwives to help.  The baby was stuck and then finally after what seemed like forever, but what was really only maybe a minute, the baby was born.  It's another boy!!!!  Colin Mitchell was handed to me.  The midwives couldn't believe how big he was.  I got out of the tub and moved onto the bed.  Shawn cut the cord about 20 minutes later. 

 

 

As the midwives went to weigh him we all took our guesses.  We knew he was bigger then the other boys, so maybe in the upper 9 pound range.  When they put him in the sling and weighed him Kelly's eyes popped.  I asked if she was surprised because he weighed less then what we all thought, she said "No, more."  Corey the other midwife took a look her eyes too popped.  I said how much?  They said, "11lbs, 10oz."  I said, "Go get the real scale."  You know, the ones hospitals have that give a digital read out.  Once weighed they said, "Uh, this scale says he weighs more."  Holy moley, I just delivered an 11lb 12oz baby boy.  WOW.  Who even does that?  I guess I do.

 

 

Then all of my pregnancy woes came back to me.  No wonder I was so uncomfortable, no wonder I couldn't even sit on a toilet without being in pain.  I was carrying this huge baby.  And to boot he was long as well.  There was NO ROOM for either of us.  Everyone has been shocked at how much he weighed.  I didn't gain a bunch of weight, no more then I did with Connor or Oren, I didn't have gestational diabetes, he was just meant to be big.  I'm not even sure he was truly stuck.  I think if I had remained calm and waited for another contraction he would have come out more easily.

Fast forward to now.  Colin is a very healthy 14lbs 8oz at seven weeks old.  He has fit spectacularly into our family.  We all love him to death.  Connor and Oren can't get enough of him.  Connor calmly reminds me when he's fussy, "He wants to nurse."  They give him gentle kisses and rub his head when he's upset.  And best of all, this baby sleeps.  And I mean, this baby sleeps.  I couldn't have asked for more.  I think he may have acid reflux, so he sleeps in the swing.  I never thought I'd "mechanically mother" my child, but last night he slept 7.5hours, and I sure as hell ain't going to mess with that.  I know what sleep deprivation does to mothers, I was there for three straight years and will avoid that at all costs.  Sleep is enabling me to be a happy, healthy, fun mother to all my children and I am so thankful.  We are overjoyed to be the parents of another boy.  Even two months later I still can't believe we have three boys and that I gave birth to what my friends affectionately call a toddler.  I'm thankful that my mom was here for three weeks after Colin was born to help out, which enabled me to recover and enjoy my newborn baby.

There you have it!



CRM is an Amazing Kid!

What a change six months can have in a child's temperament and development.  CRM is turning out to be a really great little man.  I was wondering how he would turn out after all the hitting, pushing, biting, and all other 'ing words he shouldn't have been doing.  After trying out timeouts, a swat here and there, and raising my voice, I had had enough.  The solution?  It was so simple it's embarrassing, I turned the TV off for most of the day.  Now it's usually on during transition times: wake up, before nap and bedtime.  I've been using this strategy now for three weeks or so, and it is like night and day in my house.  The stress level went down, the kids are happier, there is less physical outbursts, and they get along much better.  OMM no longer shudders at the thought of his brother coming near him.  CRM still does things he shouldn't, he's only two and a half, but the TV had a tremendous impact on the way he behaved.  I never occurred to me it would since I don't have violent/angry shows on.  And, I am so thankful I didn't hit and scream my way to force the change.


So, here are the reasons CRM is such a fantastic kid:
- says I "yuv you mom: all the time, unprompted
- gives hugs with a squeeze, and sound effects
- says "nigh nigh mom"
- gives OMM hugs and kisses, especially when OMM is upset
- shares his toys (most of the time)
- trades pacifiers in the morning so OMM won't be too mad
- has helped feed his brother when I'm busy and can't get to him right away
- gives OMM water if he needs it
- listens pretty well now, and doesn't run into roads
- is just about through the temper tantrum stage, he may have two a week if that
- follows directions


I could go on and on, but you get the point.  He is a fantastic two and half year old and I'm having a blast watching and learning from him!

You're One OMM!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear OMM, happy birthday to you!

OMM had a fabulous bday party.  His Ahma, my mother, came up from ER, Husband's parents, and his sister with her seven children came out.  One of my good friends also came out with her husband and his four year old boy.  The play area Husband has been working on was a HUGE hit and all ages enjoyed themselves.  OMM first bday cake was a homemade carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting.  I could have ate the frosting by the truckload, it was amazing.  OMM seemed to enjoy it as well!  We had great weather and the mosquitoes subsided for a little so we could all enjoy being outside.

Here are the wonderful, fabulous things OMM is doing:
1 Going down the stairs.  Hopefully the days of tumbling down are behind us.
2 Running, everywhere, but mostly from his older brother!
3 His first tooth came in, three days after he turned one, and I think he's getting a second one in.
4 Likes to be read to and can turn pages.
5 "Reads" books to himself.  Pretty cute listening to his dialogue.
6 Bends and tears pages in brother's books, so only board books for the kids these days!
7 Throwing a ball.
8 Manipulating large objects around obstacles.
9 Climbing up on rocking chair and couch.

I'm sure there's plenty more but that's all that's coming to mind.  It's crazy to think that this time last year I was overwhelmed with two babies, and this year I'm enjoying them playing and laughing with each other.  Every parent should have at least two kids just to get the satisfaction of seeing their children interact.  It is so joyful!

We've Settled In

We're settled into our old routines once again.  OMM was taking advantage of all the night nursing when he had that ear infection, so the last several nights there's been some crying, but I survived.  Husband has been working a bunch the last two weeks, and I've been holding down the fort by myself.  And again, we survived.  Not much has been happening.  Husband has been crazy busy trying to get his outdoor projects off the ground for the boys.  The newest tasks at hand are building a tire swing and two single swings.  These will hang between some tress we have on the property.  The next big idea is to build another fort/play structure.  This one will look more commercial then the play house our awesome friend, Mr. Webber built for his kiddos, then subsequently gave to us when they moved.  By the end of summer we should have a pretty awesome play area for the boys.  I'll post some pics when it's a little more complete.

The most excitement we've had was driving the boys down to visit Husband at Ft. Greely when he was gone on a 96 hour work "day."  Ft. Greely is a little over 90 miles from our house, so it was a bit of drive for an afternoon trip.  The boys and I only stayed for a couple of hours, but it was great to see Husband.  There was a great park the boys played at and we all got to see Husband's home away from home.

OMM will be ONE YEAR OLD! in a week!!!!  I can't believe it's been a year already.  He's a tiny little fellow, a mere 18lbs 3oz and 29 inches.  He is barely in the 5th percentile.  CRM was much much bigger, and it's crazy to think they come from the same stock.  The only way to explain it is, CRM comes from Husbands side of family, OMM mine.  I'll wait till next week to give an update of OMM.  A year, impossible!

There's a Reason, I Promise

You haven't heard from me in awhile because I've been out of town. I went to MN and IA with both boys and my parents to visit their families. It was quite the adventure, which started four hours before we left for the airport, OMM was diagnosed with an ear infection. During the trip the infection re flared, I had a weird scary bruise after the long plane ride, and my dad feel out of his bed. The day after we landed it was 95 degress, and the following days it cooled to a nice 85 degrees. Somehow I managed to not sunburn the kids.

However, the trip was a great success with the great-grandmas getting to meet their youngest great grand kids. CRM had a blast running on my maternal grandmother's farm. Think six acres of grass, plus another 120 of corn. And CRM slept above and beyond all my wildest expectations.

OMM did okay. Between the ear infection, sleeping in the same room as everyone, and just being unhappy meeting dozens of new people, he was a pretty unhappy kid. I was lucky to get a couple of interrupted hours of sleep a night.

But, all in all, I'm glad I took the kids, but am happy to not have to do it again!

We Have A Walker!

OMM is walking full time now! He took his first steps three weeks ago and hardly crawls anymore. OMM is also climbing, on any thing he can get his legs up on. So far he's got onto the coffee table, into the toy box, up on a child's chair, and even managed get on top of the baby walker we have. CRM takes after Husband's side of family, OMM mine. Boy do we have our hands full with these two!

CRM continues to improve since his surgery. We notice differences almost daily. The biggest so far has to be the improvement in his night time sleep. I had NO idea toddlers should sleep through the night. Honestly, CRM was waking three to four times a night and I'd have to go downstairs to find pacifiers and tuck him back in. Since the surgery he's waking up once a night every third night or so!!! I am consistently getting a five hour stretch of sleep in each night. And of course CRM is "speaking" more. He has "conversations" and is repeating everything we're saying, something he never did. It's been great. And, he doesn't mind having to wear ear plugs, which I thought was going to be a struggle.

To Those In Iowa

CRM, OMM, and I can't wait for our visit in two weeks! Sharon, we are so excited to see you! And, if your reading this, since I don't have your email address, I am sending out a world wide web question for you: Do you, or anyone you know have a playpen that we could borrow while we're in IA for OMM?

It'll be so nice to open the front door and let the boys roam and play. CRM will have a blast exploring everything the farm has to offer, and OMM will enjoy all the space to walk. Yes, I said walk! A week before he turned 10 months old he took his first steps. Now a week later he's worked up to walking a couple feet, and is walking about 20% of the time. It'll be a lot of fun to have two boys walking this summer. Less dirt of OMM and less holding him. He's getting pretty heavy to lug around now.

Today Husband and I took the boys for their first bike ride. We bought this great bike stroller and it's perfect! To top it off it wasn't even all that expensive. CRM was laughing with delight when we first started off. It'll be great to bike the fire station to visit Husband. I'll get a work out and the boys will have a great time.

And just to leave you guys with uber cuteness!!! Because, sorry all, I really do have the cutest kids EVER!

OMM enjoying some brother free time. Music anyone?

"Trees" An abstract art demo by CRM, he finds sticks and puts them in the snow. Pretty cleaver I think.

The wagon I just bought. CRM pulls it around outside, and sometimes he's kind enough to take OMM for a ride. CRM is becoming quite the amazing little boy and big brother.

CRM's Surgery

CRM had his adenoids removed and tubes put in on Tuesday morning. He was a champ. We had to get up at 6am to get to the hospital on time. All through pre-OP he waited patiently and was very polite to all the nurses. CRM looked so cute in his hospital gown and being welled around in the wagon. Unfortunately I forgot the camera so no pictures. He was quite the bear after waking up, but was pretty easy to manage; he mostly sat on my lap and cried. However, all was made better when Elmo came on Sesame Street. We left the hospital four hours after arriving, and today CRM is back to his good old self.

A very very big thanks to my mom who flew up to help me with OMM. Husband is still very busy with work and it has made cooridinating all of CRM's need a lot easier. Mom's are great!