Saturday, November 24, 2012

First Week of Having 3 Children Update. (ps. we're alive.)

UPDATE: We are ALIVE.
barely.
JUST KIDDING!
But seriously.. ;)
Looking at this boy's sweet face just makes my heart melt!
I really just stare at him all day long.
We have the first week of having 3 kids under our belt. go us!

Couple things we noticed this time around...
1. Micah is a dream baby. so far. ;)
2. He smells like a boy...little tooter pooper.
3. my husband is extra proud of everything "boyish" about him...
example: farts..poops..rolling over(muscles).... all impressive to my husband.
4. Changing boy diapers is a lot more stressful.....
The risk of being PEED on in your FACE is a lot higher than with girls.
5. Learning how to handle THREE kids..is tough.
but has it's "we are awesome at this" moments to help you get through it.
6. Ben and I fist pump a lot more with each other about this baby...
proud of our cute baby and perfect "3rd child" producing skills.
(as the 3rd child in our families..it's a proven fact they are the best.)
7. One of the best parts of having another baby..is seeing the girls interact with him.

Sienna is loving him up. She is 2.. a good age to bring home another baby I think!
She is interested enough to be lovey..but then not interested enough to be
able to go off and do her own thing and leave baby alone.
She has been a stinker at night..waking up and wanting only me.
working out those kinks.

Sophie is SO GOOD with him.
BUT...doesn't want to let him go.
That's a 4 yr old for ya.
She keeps getting upset with me for nursing him "all dayyyy"...
But she just holds him so sweetly.. "MOM! this is sooo fun!"...
and "MOM! He is snuggledddd up."
I think it'll be good when school starts up again for her...
bring back some of her normal routine.
But it seriously is the most adorable thing seeing her "nuggle" with him..
brushing her cheek against his and giving kisses.

I'm crossing my fingers this kid doesn't
lose an eye from sienna...
or toe.
I don't even know what's going on here.....
newborn days.
enough said.

Loving being a family of 5!
Having my 3 babies feels so amazing...
not gonna sugar coat it...I've broken down into tears a couple times for no apparent reason.
I'm a big ball of hormones. Told my husband that.. his response.
"ok..I'm taking that as a warning....."
haha. yup.

Getting used to our new normal is going to keep me busy...
I have some fun stuff to share as soon as these 3 bambinos let that happen.
Thanks for all the continued congratulations and well wishes. I read each and every comment/facebook post/instagram comment... I get excited about each one!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Introducing Micah Joseph - His Birth Story

I though it made sense to do this post on Thanksgiving..
considering it's what I'm most thankful for.. my happy healthy family!
We are so excited to introduce
a beautiful healthy baby boy to everyone!
Thank you for all the well wishes and congratulations via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
His birth was seriously the most intense thing I have ever done in my life...
and I am soooo thankful that he is here!

For those of you wanting to hear all the details..
here's Micah's birth story:
I had my last doctor's appointment on friday... the doctor told me that I was 4 cm. 80 % effaced. and my water bag was buling. She predicted that I would break my water over the weekend. I was excited..but tried not to think about it too much since my babies are known to be stubborn and make late arrivals even when all signs say labor is coming.
So Saturday morning I cleaned the entire house like a crazy nesting pregnant lady.. working through contractions..finished up printables..and in my mind I was like ok...we could have a baby now. As if this baby cared at all about my to-do list. ;) We went to our friend's house for dinner that night.. 10 minutes after we got home I felt like my water might have broken..but it wasn't much. So I tested it. Ben and I each layed down in the girls beds to get them to sleep..looking at each other like oh my gosh...could this be the real deal?? They finally crashed and I stood up........GUSH! I ran to the bathroom.. and started cheering. haha. And then I cheered some more every time another gush came. My water officially had broken! There was no denying it...no false alarms.. I tried to change my clothes and just made a mess. I had never experienced it like this before!! Our friends who were gonna be on big sister duty were on their way over. Pretty soon our Pastor who lives near us came over..and said a prayer with ben and I for a safe delivery and healthy baby. Contractions were coming stronger and stronger and more frequent. We were putting together the last couple things for the hospital trip...my hospital bag was already in the car..I was cleaning up the family room, kitchen and play room (where my mom was going to be sleeping)... ben telling me to stop the whole time haha. and suddenly more gushes came! non stop! I was standing there half freaking out half laughing (in front of my pastor this whole time...) "It's gushing! It's gushing! What do i do!?" I had no clue how to get to the hospital in this situation. (with sophie it was a trickle then it stopped) My friend told me grab a towel! So that's what we did. We arrived at the hospital with our baby gear..and me dressed but with a towel under me. haha.
They checked me in the triage and at about 10:30 I was still 4 cm with 80-90% effaced. The contractions were getting very painful. (the above photo was before the BAD ones started) I was relieved when they said I was still 4cm because I thought for sure I had time for an epidural. they sent me back to a room for delivery..and ordered the epidural. The contractions were BAD.. insane. my text messages to my family turned into "Owoowowowow" text messages..and then ended all together. I felt like that crazy person on a baby story that was wailing. I had never felt contractions this bad with the girls. FINALLY the epidural came.. I had a 3 minute long contraction that almost made me throw up all over ben.. Lots of "I can't do this I can't do this!!!..and Honey it hurtssssss!!" was being shouted. (as the nurses joked later It was the most controled intensity they had ever seen. haha) As he was giving me the epidural I had 3 more intense ones..the final one happening as he was taking the tape off my back.. I said "I need to lay on my side! I feel pressure!" I seriously felt like I was sitting on the baby while he was giving me the epidural. I rolled over...screamed...Begged the 'epidural guy' to tell me it was going to kick in soon...he totally lied to my face and said yes any minute. The nurse looked down at me...then at ben..and said oohh I think it's going to be someone's birthday right now! I see her get on her phone and say a bunch of code words..The nurses are grabbing my knees and telling me I can bear down and push! The doctor finally arrives for the first time and I push 3 or 4 times... all the while ben looking petrified(I've never seen such a sad scared face. he didn't enjoy seeing me hurting) but he kept cheering me on "you are doing amazing..you're amaing!!"... I can't even describe the pain..It was INTENSE. but finally after those 3 or 4 pushes (thank goodness only 3 or 4!!) Micah was born!! Ben yelled "It's a boy!!!" and he started crying! I started crying!! He tried to make out with me. haha. And then I just kept saying over and over out of breath.."we did it...we did it!!" Then I was like.."we made a boy!"......"We don't have any boy clothes." ;) I had totally forgotten about the boy or girl thing. I was in shock..and when they placed him on my chest I just couldn't even believe it..he was here! and ..he was a boy!!
The doctor came back later to repair me since I could feel everything at the time.
The epidural finally kicked in ten or so minutes after I was holding our Micah.....
So.......
Within an hour...I dilated from 4 - 10 cm
and the baby was coming out on it's own.
INTENSE.
So thankful for a healthy baby boy.. still in awe of him.
Feeling incredibly blessed.
And no we are not done since we had our boy.
having him only makes us want a gajillion more like him!
eventually. ;)

He is SUCH A GOOD BABY!
Ben and I keep joking
(being perfect 3rd children ourselves)
that that is why he is so good. ;)
He is so sweet and snuggly.
So far He only cries when you change his clothes or diaper.
He doesn't like being bare..he likes being snuggled up and cozy.
He's a good nurser.. and an even better sleeper.
We are enjoying this newborn stage, because we know it might not last ;)

The next morning, Sophie and Sienna
stopped by to meet their little brother!
It was incredible. One of the best parts was seeing them fall in love with him.
Their big sister shirts I had ordered off of OldNavy.com
I was wearing my Pretty Designer Hospital Gown by Dear Johnnies.


Sophie was IN LOVE. She just wanted to hold him constantly.
Sienna loved him too..but in a more aggressively
lovey 'I want to poke your eyes out' sort of way.

Their sweet little brother brought them presents!
Sienna wore her fuzzy high heels around the hospital room.

Going Home.
Ben and I enjoyed our time at the hospital..
We gave our nurses and the hospital staff our little thank you goodie bags.
they loved it. I might have gotten into the candy tooo..
We were excited to bring him home!
So far we are all doing really well. I'm a tad sore.
and I forgot how tired nursing makes you. and hungry.
The girls are doing well. Sophie definitely had a hard time the first couple days...
She thinks she is the mom. She was getting upset with me... "I'm upset with you mom!"...
when I would take him to nurse or change his diaper. Or telling us "I got this I got this!"
Hoping that that drama-rama dies down a bit.
I'm so glad we are all home and together. Enjoying the newborn baby snuggles.
He is a good sleeper over all.. sienna is the one who has
been waking up in the night and ONLY wanting me.
Working through those kinks. It's only been a few days..
so giving us time to get settled.

Hope you all have a
wonderful Thanksgiving!
I might have accidently got a chicken instead of a turkey..
but it's still going to be delicious!! ;) (pregnancy brain)

Friday, November 16, 2012

My Christmas DIY or BUY Gift Guide: Real-Life Pretend Play Gift Ideas

 I wanted to make my Christmas Gift
Guide this year really useful!!
When I start thinking about our Christmas gift list..
I know I want to do a mix of gifts to BUY and DIY.
So I put together different sections of pretend play themes where you
can see toy options to buy, with a variety of prices, and mixing in
some DIY options for those feeling crafty!
I am a huge fan of real-life pretend play!
So I created all my categories of toys with that theme.

Each Category has it's own graphic, for those of you wanting to
pin to pinterest something that catches your eye!
Gift Idea Categories: Doctor/Nurse, Mail Man, Little Artist, Vet, Little Mommy,
Fix it Guys & Girls, Pizzeria, Grocery, Ice Cream Shop and Little Cook!

Hopefully you can spot some things you want to BUY or DIY..
and then get in on the black friday deals!
Most of the items are found in major local stores(Target, Toys R Us & Walmart, etc.), 
Handmade items from etsy shops or blogged DIY Projects.
Happy gift giving everyone!

My girls LOVE playing doctor or nurse.
I plan on making the little nurse outfits for both of them. How ridiculously cute is it?!
Sophie spotted it while I was putting this post together... and with her reaction..
I knew I had to make that DIY happen. ;)
Both of my girls put "doctor" on their letter to santa...
I wasn't able to find it online, but Target has a really cute pink kit with a clear briefcase.

Imaginarium Doctor Dress Up Set - Green 5-Piece - $21.99

Let's Play Doctor Playset - $10

Dress up Nurse Costume - DIY

Fisher-Price Medical Kit - Pink - $14.99

Pretend Play: Doctor Kit - DIY 

Fisher-Price Medical Kit - $13.88



Even with it being cold outside..
the idea of Gardening is so fun for little ones!
My Sophie(4), especially loves it. She gathers up all her vegetable felt food in a basket..
and goes to work in her "Garden".. which is..nothing... so, I'm thinking of making the
DIY garden on the bottom left below. I love the idea of using turf..
and having tubes that they can "plant" their flowers
in and then pick them! so sweet. And I love toys that keep kids busy.
I might kill every plant that I touch...But I think I can handle the fake ones. :)

Sending and getting mail is so fun for kids!
We made the cardboard mailbox a while back.. 
and it is used almost every day at some point.
I never got around to painting it.. but I think it could be really cute pink or blue!
The little wooden mailbox is a splurge
but my sophia has always eyed that toy up at stores..
I know so many people who have it and love it!

 With a house of girls...
we play mommy a lot. I mean... a lot.
everything is mothered in our house. ;)
There are so many cute little mommy (or daddy) items out there..and lots of DIY's!
We have the circo car seat and diaper bag full of goodies. they LOVE it.
This Christmas is going to be a big Mommy gift year I think..
especially with baby #3 arriving right before in november.
I really want to make up some felt diapers and the swaddlers! I think I'll get my
mom in on that when she comes up to help out with baby. (are you reading this mom? :)

And here's a whole nother batch of little mommy gifts!
I found so many great DIY projects..I couldn't edit this list down.. had to share. ;)

Fix it time! I am seriously considering making..
or getting my husband to make.. one of these tool tables below!
My girls are always drawn to those things at friend's houses.
And I have to hide my tape measurer from them.. they are fascinated by it. I think a kid friendly version might be good to have. :) I put the hammering toy on this list...
only because sienna loves it so much whenever we go to IKEA.
I'm not sure I could handle that in our house... all the time.. ;)

I came across the felt dog treats and almost died!!
So cute! My girls are really into animals.. and doctor... so playing vet is the perfect combo!
I have seen some cute DIY stuffed animal band aids out there too.
I think my girls would flip over the little cage and vet kit!

Do you have a little artist in your house?? We have the IKEA easel and love it. And the monster crayon bag?!? adorable. There are so many great ways to showcase and carry around your little ones crayons! and I think every kid loves crayons..and loves putting them in something.
My sienna fills up purses and baskets all day long.
She would love having a spot for each crayon and then taking it to church with us!

Love these gift ideas for your little chef!
We have a little kitchen area in our Play Room and the girls are in there every day..
cooking up something yummy! Sharing a link to my felt food in this round up.
I made up a bunch of stuff one year..most of them really easy to do!
I love when the girls bring me a plate full of yummy felt donuts, cookies,
bacon and lettuce. perfect snack combo. ;)
I loveeee the elephant apron. it's too adorable.

Kids love the idea of buying stuff...
putting stuff into their cart!
Here's some cute and fun grocery themed items..
I love the felt money. and the little grocery basket.... $8.99?? love it.
My sienna would carry that around all day!


I scream, You scream,
We all scream for Ice Cream!
I think some of these items are soo cute! I love the idea of filling up
containers with different colors of play dough and making cute labels. 
Shared my ice cream felt board in this set.. I'm not selling them at this time,
But hope you can get some inspiration to make your own!
My girls LOVE stacking up the flavors.
Sienna sometimes licks the felt..still working on that. ;)

Pizza and kids... it just goes together!
My girls love the felt Pizza I made them. I love the idea of little ones being able to count
the toppings as they put them on... or making their pizza up just how they want it!
And kids love the pizza shop fun of taking orders and making the delivery. :)


Thanks for checking out my
Christmas Gift Guide for 2012!
Happy gifting everyone!

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