Heartbeat

I spent all day in bed.

I had two naps.

Penny curled up behind me

Contently watching cartoons

Andy snores softly in my arms

This time is heaven.

Priceless.

Soon he will be alert

Soon she will be off to school.

Too soon I will have no reason

To just be in bed

Unless I have the flu

And who wants that!

I remember putting Ellie and Lucy to bed

I remember thinking that they needed their bed

They would fall asleep to the lullabies their crib music boxes played

with penny and Andy they slept/sleep with me.

They were/are curled up beside me

Wrapped in my arms

And fell/fall asleep to the sound of my heartbeat.

Fair Weathered Activities

Every once in a while

The wind stops blowing

And it gets warm

Then our fair weathered cowboy

Will go and bring up our horses

And go for a ride.

Ellie and her dad went out

He decided to take out Zola

She had been out in the pasture for a coupe months

So he thought he should probably leave his partner in crime (aka penny) at home.

Zola was awesome.

So partner in crime 

Got to go for a ride after.

Bath Time

Today was bath day.

He was a smelly little boy.

Now he is played out.

And totally ready for a nap.

Played 

New Normal

So this past Monday was supposed to be my first day of "normal".

Dusty was back to the grind

I had a doctors appointment first thing in the morning.

The girls and I had to figure out a new morning routine.

I woke up at 530. 

Fed Andy.

Got the girls on the bus at 8

Pack up Penny and Andy 

And was on the road by 810.

Dropped Penny off at a friends

(After a slight change in child care- my other friend called that morning with sick kids)

I thought it had been too long since I had driven.

I kept missing my turns.

Anyways.

I got going into town. 

Music on.

No crying baby.

The news came on...

Do you know that this past Monday was blue Monday?

It is the most depressing day of the whole year.... There is a mathematical equation based on a ton of factors like time after Christmas, winter, money etc...

I scoffed hearing this that mornings news.

Got to town

A light turned red.

I went to stop.

No brakes.

None.

Slight panic.

Say a little prayer.

Re- route myself to only make right hand turns.

Manage to get to the doctors office.

Two minutes late.

Go in.

Find out he has a posterior tongue tie.

Cut it.

Was forewarned it was going to be a rough week of nursing....

Great.

Like nursing wasn't already bad!

Get out to my car.

Panic.

Make a few phone calls.

Call a mechanic

( who was awesomely amazing)

Then call roadside assistance.

On hold for 1 hour

Then another hour for the tow truck.

My sister comes.

We get everything switched.

Tow truck shows up.

And home.

Longest Monday ever!

First day of "normal" sucked.

I might not be scoffing about blue Monday anymore...

My bed.

My world seems consumed by baby.

I have a world set up in my bed.

There are diapers and wipes at my bedside.

Bassinets and laundry hampers filled with items. 

My bed has turned into a nursing station with every pillow at my disposal.

Everyonce in a while I emerge to join my family at the dinner table or to visit with someone stopping in.

But mostly I am in my room.

The last time I did this my girls were 5 and 3. 

Maybe they forced me out of my room more.

Maybe they just hung out with me...

It's funny how quickly our brains forget those small details.

At 8 and 6 these girls are much much more help.

I am so grateful for them and their willingness to help and for their understanding of me needing to be somewhere else.

This week at home has been bliss. I could stay all day wrapped in my blankets on my bed cuddling my sweet baby. Listening to his heavy breathing while he sleeps. 

Birthday Gifts

Birthdays are never a huge deal around here.

But mines a big one this year

And about 1 in the morning I heard

The not so soft

Squeals 

Coming from the bassinet.

I had slept through two rounds of painkillers

And

My dietary choices were sneaking up on me

I felt awful.

Then from beside me I heard a grunt

A happy birthday grunt

And then a "isn't it great getting old"

Thanks dusty!

But besides the old age

There are a few pretty great things

About getting old for me.

Right now in my life I have

- 2 awesomely helpful girls because the older I get- the older they get (weird how that works)

- my next move is into a retirement home

- a settled marriage (no new growing pains)

- knowing that in this next decade or so I get to enjoy the goals accomplished in the last decade.

Today I am thankful for my birthday.

I am grateful I am home

I am blessed with 4 healthy children

A great husband

And the icing on the cake

It even snowed a little this morning!

Now hopefully I can get 1 or 2 naps in

Because this whole up all night thing

Isn't as easy as it once was...

3 girls and a boy

Andy got to come home today and finally meet his sisters.

His arrival has been highly anticipated by the youngest of his big sisters.

He didn't disappoint. 

She proceeded to maul him.

She rubbed his head.

She patted his cheeks.

She poked his eyes.

She adores him.

I think they might find some trouble together....

Ellie ran from the bus into the house.

She is ready for normal.

She was very ready to meet him.

She has held him

And cuddled him. He really loves her. She sits still and let's him sleep. She is already mini mom.

She can make a bottle, change him, and wrap him....

Lucy was a little slower to meet him.

But she is smitten with him.

She is the sister that will be ever watchful of him. 

She will be the one who protects him...

And tells on him....

He is a pretty lucky little guy.

Feeding time at the zoo

The above is the before face.

He says he is hungry

And

I guess if you start out weighing 10.5lbs

You are hungry

A lot

And you get a bit hangery

When your mom is late for feeding time

Another good thing about starting out over 10lbs

Is after your fed

You sleep peacefully in your cage!

Memos

It's 1 in the morning.

Andy is in the nicu.

His sugars are all outa sync

That what happens when you're beefy

(Apparently he didn't get the memo)

I have been spending a lot of time there

I get to go back in 2 hours...

Hurray.

(Not really)

So this is what he looks like today-

Fat might not be good for blood sugars

But

It sure makes the nurses luv ya!

Andy

We had our baby!!!

Hurray!

I can breathe!!

Andy (a BOY- that was a surprise)

Joined our little clan!!

He is massive

At 10 lbs 8 oz

And 22 inches!!

 He is awesome.

He feeds like a trooper and loves to snuggle.

We are doing great!!!!

Problem Solved.

I will spare you all the last minute details

Of the whole me preparing to have a baby.

It's not pretty.

This is the week.

I made my due date.

Which really in the "rules" of c-sections is pretty good.

I was feeling not totally prepared

But

Dusty fixed it

(Maybe that's what happens after 10 years)

For my birthday he bought me new hair.

I love it.

Nothing fixes like new hair.

Sunday Girl Food

One of our favorite dinners 

(when Dusty is gone- he would not consider it "dinner")

Is hot chocolate, eggs, amd toast.

But

I had warm bread

And no desire for eggs

So instead we opted for jam and cheese whiz.

Is there really anything better than warm bread on a cold day?

I think not.

Sunbeams and sandwiches

Today Penny graduated from nursery.

I was a little worried.

Less play time....

Perhaps no snack....

But as I came out of 

Old woman's 

(aka relief society- my children never remember what it is really called)

Penny was waiting for me

And announced

She loved sunbeams

She got sandwiches.

Mini ones

With jam.

What a kid!

1 hour hat

This is my 1 hour hat.

I make it quite a bit

It's so cute.

The outside rolls back and makes a Nordic bonnet.

This is new baby size.

It's a rectangle with the three needle cast-off for the back.

I pick up a few stitches at the bottom for ear/chin warming and

Done.

Super easy.

Super warm.

This one is black and grey and lilac.

I probably should of skipped the lilac 

(just in case)

But whatever....

I might have time tonight to knit another!