Christmas

Christmas with a newborn is pretty much summarized in this picture.  The toddler is up and crazy while the grown-ups are ready to die.  Our Christmas was pretty pathetic.

Just so happens that I developed my bout of mastitis overnight and was full blown christmas morning.  Talk about feeling like death... The best way I can describe it is it feels like someone shot you in the chest with a shotgun at point blank range and every move and shift in weight is like rubbing salt in the wound.  If that's not enough the high fever and headache amplifies sound so when your trying to take care of a crying baby it's like someone is blowing a airborne right next to your ear.

I tried to spend some quality time with these two, they are funny.  Ellie is afraid of heights and she clings to McKay for dear life.  I took a couple pics but for the most part I stayed in bed.  We didn't even have dinner that's how pathetic it was.  

It's had been snowing too, and Ellie went out to help McKay shovel

These two bonded over some popcorn and a movie.  It actually happened a lot during those first few weeks.

A few days later after taking antibiotics I tried to take some more pics.  Our four ft tree didn't provide the amount of cool background as I was hoping for though.

This picture of Brent ended up being what I used for his baby announcements, and I put some of the pictures Lindsay took on the back. I like how it turned out.

I'm glad this Christmas over.  It was hard but I guess we survived... barely. I would never re-live it again.  But at least the rest of the Christmas' from here on out will be fun!

Random pictures of newborn life

Chicken legs!!

Cute hospital pics

My friend Lindsay, the one who takes wedding photos with me, came to the hospital and took pictures for us. Thanks Lindsay!  They are so cute and love them so I wanted to share.

Birth story (hopefully it doesn't bore you)

Man it's so hard to type or do anything right now with these two kids.  I seriously type one sentence and am interrupted.  I really don't mind but it is a lot harder two stay on task.  haha.  I already had two poop explosions today, one from the newborn and one from the two year old.  If that doesn't throw a wrench into your schedule, nothing will.  

So this is the rest of the story of how this little boy entered the world.

I already told you my water broke at home and I wasn't having any contractions.  McKay smuggled Taco Bell into the hospital for me after I checked in and was just sitting there doing nothing.  Technically I was on clear liquid diet but oh well.  Usually I wouldn't  break the rules but I knew I wasn't going to do anything for a long time. :) I'm glad I did that otherwise I would have been starving by the time I had the baby.

 The next day they started oxytocin and pitocin to get the party started because still nothing was happening.  The pitocin kept dropping his heart rate too much and so I had to wear an oxygen mask. It was very frightening that with the pitocin my contractions would slow his heart down to 25bpm.  It made me scared and paranoid.  Eventually they quit using the pitocin and just let my body run its natural course.

My contractions were super weird and irregular, for the most part they were 10 mins apart but super powerful.  One thing I am grateful for is the epidural.  Once it kicked in I had a three min long contraction that I didn't even feel.  Thank goodness! (that event was when I was on the pitocin)  Unfortunately baby Brent felt it and his heart went down and stayed down for those three mins.

 I only pushed for 25 mins which was great considering Ellie was 3.5hrs!  It was a very easy pushing session.  Maybe she took so long because she was a whole pound bigger than him and was my first.

 I am so grateful that everything turned out ok and no one had any major issues.  I love my family and  esp this new little guy!

It's been a while...

So I am going to be starting writing on this thing again. I am no longer working, no longer in school, no longer pregnant, and technically no longer have a newborn (he's one month old).  So I feel it's time to get back to this.  

About Ellie: She is definitely entering the is entering the "terrible twos" she has a huge 'tude.  (I cant wait for her to grow out of the tantrums.) But she is also a whole lot of fun and runs around in circles saying "I crazy!"

She such a smart girl.  She is not even two and can identify all her numbers, shapes, colors, and most letters.  I am not sure what else we will teach her after this or how I will juggle teaching her stuff while taking care of another kid, but I want her to keep learning.  

 This is Ellie's first time meeting Santa.  She ratted me out that I was taking a pic of them and then the elf police chastised me. Apparently you are not allowed to take a pic of Santa with your phone.  Oh well.  I got what I wanted at least. :)

 We went and visited Ethan and Marlo a couple times, which is one of Ellie's favorite things to do (even though it doesn't look like it in this pic, it was late ok!)  This other picture of Ellie was when we went to the ward Christmas party on the 15th.  She looked so adorable I had to take this pic with her and the tree.

 Here's a picture of my pregnant self the next day on the 16th on my way to church.  I thought my outfit was pretty cute for a 9 mo preggo lady (sorry I don't have a full length mirror) so that's why I took this pic.  I was wearing black leggings and brown leather boots too.  I originally planned on taking pictures later, but since I still had a week and a half before my due date I was going to take a better picture later (that didn't happen.)

 Once church ended I wrestled Ellie in the car, and the wrestled her back out of the car, and then wrestled her in the house, wrestled her up the stairs and into her crib for a nap and by that time I was exhausted.   I sat down on the couch trying to relax and a few seconds later my water broke! I ran to the kitchen and it just kept gushing out (sorry if that was TMI) but yeah,  I was really surprised at how much comes out!  It's not like in the movies.  Every time you step or the baby moves more gushes out.  Very messy but exciting, haha.  I'm sure you can guess how this story ends, me in the hospital with a baby, but I'll tell that story later.

Next school project

This week I have a huge paper due, and this poster.  I just finished the poster, I hope it doesn't look too Twilight-esk.  Now time to do the paper.

Update

So it's been kinda crazy here lately.  Work, photos, school, babies, apt hunting, and family emergencies have just been nonstop.  I like my life super busy but this has almost been too much for my foggy pregnant brain to handle.  McKay was super amazing and took Ellie for the weekend to Braiden and Sharon's house after I had a meltdown because the dishwasher wouldn't open.  It was just what I needed, but that night I woke up sick and I ended up calling out from work the next two days.  It was still a good and a healing weekend.

While McKay was gone he took some videos for me so I didn't feel totally left out.  I figured McKay's parents would love this video b/c it includes Ethan, Marlo, and Asher in it too. It sounds like fun.  Ellie is starting to break out of her "parallel play" and starting to play with other kids.  She loves other kids.

As far as pictures are concerned I am still working on a wedding.  CLICK HERE to go to the gallery for the wedding.  My friend Lindsay shot some of the wedding with me :) 

I turned in that map assignment too, my teacher liked it but made me put vertical slash marks in the parking lot to make it look more like a parking lot.  OK whatever you say.  I just need a good grade and him to forgive me when I come in late to class (traffic).

Midterms are next week so that means I have to go to the testing center for my literacy class.  Uggghhh.  Good news though, I can take one paper of notes in with me :)

Conference sounded pretty good, or at least the min or two I heard of it cuz of Ellie.  We will see how it goes tomorrow but I don't think it will be anything different.

Apartment hunting is good, I think we are going to get this townhouse in Walkersville but we shall see.

Furloughs are kinda a big deal over here, I don't know how it is everywhere else in the country.  My dad and my stepdad both haven't been to work in a week.  It's a good thing McKay switched from working for Public Health Command on Aberdeen Proving Grounds and went to the private company he works for now.  Thank you!  The only good thing about it was that traffic was lighter when I went to work at the hospital down by DC.

So yeah, that's about it.  Or at least that's as much as I want to share online anyway.