She's Here!!

I still can't believe it... I actually have a daughter!  She is a great baby so far!  Ok, I realize she's only been here for literally 24 hours, but she nurses well, sleeps a lot, and has barely cried.  What an angel!

We decided to name her Marjorie Ann Scott, but we'll be calling her Mari for short.  She is named after a grandmotherly-like figure of mine - my next door neighbor growing up - and after Bo's great grandmother.  Marjorie also means "Pearl" and Mari means "Of the Sea".  She came into this world on January 29th at 9:51 PM, which made her 6 days early from her due date.  She weighed in at an even 6lbs and was 18" long.

Out of my three labors this one was the hardest for me pain wise... which I guess is fitting because it has also been my worst pregnancy.  On the 28th I woke up feeling like I was having labor contractions, but they were not close together at all, so I just sat tight.  When I woke up on the morning of the 29th, I was experiencing the same contractions, but this time they were 5 minutes apart and lasting about 30 seconds.  I went in to get checked out and I was at 4cm and 80% effaced, so they told me to come back in at the end of the day and we could see if I had progressed any further.  All day long the contractions stayed the same, coming every 5 minutes and lasting 30 seconds.  I went back in to get checked out at the end of the day and was told I was closer to 5cm.  The midwives, who I usually see, were assisting in other deliveries, so the OB who was checking me out gave me the options of stripping my membranes or going straight to the hospital where he said he would break my water and really get things going.  I declined both options and decided to go back home and wait to see how things went on their own.  A few hours later I decided it was time to take the boys to their grandparents and make our way to the hospital.  When we got there I was at a 7 and the midwife was called back in.  I'm not sure why, but it seemed like labor this time around was way more painful then it was with the boys!  I think it might be because of all the pain I've had to deal with due to all my kidney stone attacks.  They have made me a huge wimp.  I'm afraid of pain now.  Because of that, I don't think I was as mentally prepared to be in it again.  But I did it... of course you don't have much of a choice once you get to a certain point... she has to come out and you can no longer be offered drugs.  Something else that was different with this birth was the pushing part... which completely snuck up on me!  I never felt that urge to push with either of the boys.  I was more coached through pushing.  With Mari I was dealing with contractions and then all of a sudden she was coming out!  It was an urge I have never felt before... like there was no way it could be stopped, she was just coming and I had no control over it.  And it hurt!!!  Turns out she was face side up.  Let me tell you, that's not a fun way to deliver a baby.  Yes, her beautiful head is perfectly round, but OUCH!  Thank goodness she was a small baby.  Once she was out I was so happy... until they started pushing on my stomach.  Please no more pain for awhile!

She is here though and our family could not be happier!

The boys love her.  Brodie wants to hold her all the time and he keeps saying things like, "The baby is sooo cute!"  When people come to look at and hold her he always makes sure that they are aware that she is our baby and they can not have her or take her home.

Ryker also seems to be enjoying his little sister.  He keeps asking to hold her and loves pointing out her "little nose" or "little ears".  He was also very fond of the binky that came home with her.

 Here Mari is getting her first bath.  She was particularly fond of the hair brushing.  She just melted when the sponge-brush rubbed her head.

And here she is ready to go home!  They wanted to keep me until the morning, but since we were both doing fine and I wanted to go home, we were able to get discharged early.  

It is going to be an exciting time with three little kids!

Hunting Buddies

When Brodie was 2 we introduced him to a duck hunting game that you play on the Wii.  He was awesome at it and would shoot the birds with impressive accuracy.  With all the bad weather we've been having, I decided it would be ok to pull it out again and we could start teaching Ryker how to do it too.  I found a second little gun through the online garage sale site I belong to for a couple bucks and the boys have been having fun ever since!

Ryker is very meticulous.  He can shoot the birds really well, but he takes his sweet time on making sure he's got a good aim first.  Because of this he gets frustrated easily since his brother often kills the birds before him.

Brodie's been getting better at "sharing" the birds.  He'll assign certain ones to Ryker and it makes everyone much happier.

Love my little duck hunters!

And hopefully this will be my last post where I only have sons.  I've been having nasty contractions lately, but since I went in the last time I thought I was in labor and wasn't, I'm so completely unsure about what is going on.  I did go to the doctor this morning and was 4cm, 80% effaced, so I'm supposed to go back in at 4 and see if there has been any progression.  With my luck there won't have been.  I'm very over this pregnancy.  I hate complaining about being pregnant because it is such a blessing to conceive a child and I know there's those out there who would love the chance to go through all the pains that I've been going through to get a sweet little blessing, but I am so tired.  I just keep thinking that once I'm no longer pregnant, my body will go back to normal and I won't be in pain anymore, I'll have more energy, I won't frequent the bathroom so much (man that gets old, especially in the middle of the night so often!) and get things done around here.... that is until I hit my sleep deprived wall.  Oh boy!... or rather, Oh GIRL!

38 Weeks.

Today I am 38 weeks along in my pregnancy.  The end is quickly approaching.  This pregnancy has definitely been the hardest of the three and extremely challenging.  I had another kidney stone attack last week and I swore it put me into active labor.  I even had Bo take the day off and clenched my jaw through the pain until I could get checked out just in case it was the real thing.  Turns out it wasn't.  That's right.  On my third pregnancy I was that girl who thinks she's in labor but isn't at all.  On one hand I was completely thrilled because as soon as I got back out to our car I took my morphine as fast as possible.  On the other hand, I had started preparing myself for a long day of labor and pain... which there was a lot of pain... but you don't get a sweet baby at the end, so it's just frustrating and annoying.  It will definitely be nice to have the option to go get these stones zapped if they keep bothering me after I deliver.

To who this applies to... have any of you ever gotten the nesting instinct with your pregnancies?  I never have. My house is as messy as ever and I don't think I'll ever catch up.  I really really really want that nesting instinct to kick in, but it's just not happening.  I have been trying to declutter by selling unwanted items around our house.  Maybe that's my version of the nesting instinct, but it doesn't make me feel like I accomplished anything because if we had the space, I would just keep all my junk.

This is where I should probably post a belly picture, but I haven't taken any pictures of my belly this time around, so I've got nothin'!

The boys have been doing really well with their new beds.  We finally found Ryker a mattress, sold the toddler bed, and are good in the bed department now for at least a few years.  It's a nice feeling.  Ryker does tend to fall out of his bed, but it's not a drop that's going to hurt him or anything, however it does wake him up.  I'm going to try tucking a pool noodle under his sheet and see if that will keep him in better.  Really, we need to just finish customizing the bed so that he has a rail, but it is so cold here the idea of buying lumber and using the saw in the garage is not at all appealing.  That is definitely one bummer of the winters here.  Projects really come to a stand still because going outside to paint, spray paint, chop, saw, etc. is pure torture.

I think the weather has been hard on the boys too.  They love being outside, but it really is impossible to let them go out there.  Brodie is always asking me when it will be warm enough to go swimming again.  I did let Brodie go in the backyard today while Ryker was taking a nap and he loved it, but he comes back in so cold!  I think we're just kind of going stir crazy being cooped up in the house so much.  Brodie starts his preschool again tomorrow, which he could not be more excited for, so I think that will be really nice for him and it will be good for the boys to have a break from each other too.  I'll have to figure out some fun things I can do with Ryker alone.

I still haven't taken any new pictures... what is wrong with me!??   But here is a cute one that I never posted from November.  Brodie and Ryker reading a book in the pile of laundry I was folding.

Bunk Beds!

Brodie is almost 4.... can you believe that?  I've had a child for almost 4 years now!  Anyways, he is getting to be a big boy and his toddler bed has been starting to look a little small for him.  So, I've been telling him that when he turns 4, he is going to get a bigger boy bed.  I've also been doing some contemplating and and trying to decide if I'm ready to move Ryker out of his crib.  Then I came across the Ikea Kura Loft Bed on Pinterest where people have turned the bed into a bunk bed.  It is lower to the ground, so it is much safer for toddlers, and it's a good bed that can take some customization.

Here is an example of what someone else did with their loft bed to convert it into a bunk bed and I love it.  Both beds are safely tucked in.  So now we need to get some extra lumber and customize ours.

Or I'm kinda tempted to just do this....

Haha, do you think someone would call protective services on me??

The closest Ikea is down in Utah, over 4 hours away... not very convenient.  And the bed is $199 brand new, which doesn't even include mattresses... yikes!  Yay for craigslist though, because I found someone who lives only a half hour away from us who was selling one for less then half of what Ikea was selling them for and it came with a mattress!  Woohoo!  I still need to find a mattress for Ryker on the bottom, but for now he has two crib mattresses pushed together, so he should be good for a little while.

So tonight the boys slept in their new bunk beds!  And it only took several threats, one major breakdown from Ryker when I put him back in his crib for not listening, and an hour and half later.....

Sleeping boys!

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the night goes, but hopefully they'll stay in there!

Snow Day!!

The boys and I kept trying to get out to go snow sledding before Christmas, but we never made it.  Luckily (and unluckily... we're talking a low of -10 degrees at night and only a high of 16 degrees during the day), it's so freezing cold here that the snow never melts, so there are plenty of opportunities for a snow day!

And my annual snow sledding video...

Brodie loved it and would have stayed out there all day.  Ryker liked it too, but after awhile he was happier just playing in the snow instead of snow sledding.

And for the record, I did snow sled too, but with this big belly my darn snow pants wouldn't button and I got winded very easily walking up that puny hill.  Talk about out of shape!  Bo was awesome though!  He walked those kids up that hill so many times with ease.

Brodie and Ryker both really love an episode of Little Bear where Little Bear and Father Bear go walking out in the snow and they end up having a snow ball fight, so the kids have been dying to have a snow ball fight with their own Daddy.

Then we ended our trip with hot cocoa, grilled cheese sandwiches, and tomato soup.  A perfect day!

2013 New Year Resolutions

I've never really been into the whole New Years Resolution thing growing up, but over the last few years I've been more into making resolutions, or goals, or just attitude changes for the better.  Last year's resolution completely bombed.  My goal was to send out physical birthday cards to my family and friends.  Facebook and email are so convenient, but it's also very impersonal.  I think I got a few cards out, so if you got one, you're one of the lucky people on my list, but I think I really only got out about 5-10%... so basically if you're birthday was in January or February, you probably got a card... if it was in any of the 10 other months... Sorry!

I am excited about my two goals this year.  Mostly because I'll enjoy doing both of them and I think it will be completely doable.

My first goal is to can at least 3 different things that I have never canned before.  That one should be really easy.  I already have two ideas: homemade syrup and butter.  Any suggestions for the third?  I love canning.  Tonight I canned turkey broth and pomegranate jelly.  I love hearing the "pop" of the lids and how pretty my shelves look out in the garage adorned with canned goods.

My second goal is to learn how to use my fancy camera that I got last year in manual mode.  I really thought I'd have it figured out by now, but I don't at all.  There should be enough tutorials online to be able to accomplish this goal, but if I get desperate, maybe I can find a community or college class to take.  I really want to learn how to take beautiful pictures though and the automatic setting just isn't cutting it!

The boys are still too young to pick out their own goals, but if they could I would guess Ryker's would be to be potty trained and Brodie's would be to win a medal in wrestling.  (when he turns 4 in February he can start attending the wrestling club.  Not sure how I feel about that, but I guess I still have a month to get used to the idea and even then there's probably seasons, so who knows when he'll actually start.)

And since I still have no pictures to show, here are a couple shots that the boys have taken over the last year...

Brodie taking a picture of Ryker taking a picture:

Ryker taking a picture of himself going down the slide:

Ryker taking a picture of Brodie making a funny face:

Brodie took this picture... I have no idea where he took it or what it is.

Brodie taking a picture of Ryker:

Brodie taking a very flattering picture of himself:

They love it when they can get ahold of one of our old cameras and click away!