Two Months

I don't know where the time has gone the past two months, but we have a beautiful little girl who is growing and changing so much!  What is Finley up to now? 

She is finally starting to smile!  It is the best reward a parent can get-your child's face lighting up when you are talking to them.  Seeing that they know you and care about you and love you so much they will squeeze out a little smile for you.  As each day goes by, Finley becomes a lot more expressive which is so fun.  She is a rather serious little girl still who seems to be taking in every little thing this big world has to offer.

This little girl is also becoming quite a little chatter box.  We have lots of conversations during the day.  Only she knows what she is saying, but each day she has more to tell you.  It is so fun listening to her coo's and having her try to tell you all she has to say.

She is an amazing sleeper!  Since six weeks on, Finley has been sleeping through the night.  Yep!  I told you she was amazing.  It took me a little bit to brag about this.  The first night it happened I thought it was a complete fluke.  But then it happened again and again and again.  And it has continued since.  I didn't want to brag because I didn't want to jinx it, but finally I knew we were in a routine.  And it's a good one to be in!  This is truly a gift from God.  Most babies who nurse continue to get up in the night.  I know with Hunter it took us until 10 months to get him to sleep through the night.  I know God has my back by blessing me with this while Craig is away in Texas.  This mama needs her sleep in order to keep up with three kids (which is why I still stay up way too late in order to get up early....will I ever learn?).  She goes down around 8:00-9:00 at night and will sleep until 6:30-7:30 in the morning.  The other night we did do a twelve hour streak.  Yep, she's pretty amazing!

This girl likes to eat!!  In the morning she is famished.  But, I cut her off because if I let her eat until she can't eat anymore, she can't keep it all in.  She will eat about 5 oz. in a feeding no problem.  And when you have a girl who likes to eat, you get a chubby baby with lots of rolls and creases!  But they're so cute on her!  We call her our little Michelin baby. :)

She is playing more and more with toys and swinging at the toys on her play mat and bouncy seat.  It is fun to see her get so excited and sometimes shocked when she bats at a toy and it moves.

She is seriously the happiest and quietest baby I have ever met.  I have been accused of drugging my baby by many people.  (They're not serious...I think.)  She is super mellow and rarely cries.  Even when she wakes up in the morning feeling starved she kind of just kicks around and talks in her crib.  She just watches everything and takes it all in.

We went to the doctor for her two month check-up and found out how much she has grown.  Finley is now up to 13 pounds 8 ounces and 23 1/4 inches.  That means since birth she has put on over 4 1/2 pounds and has grown over 3 inches!!  Can't she stay little forever?  Please?  Ok, I know that will never happen, but she's my last one-I'm serious this time-and I just want to snuggle her forever!  Plus, we are moving out of our 0-3 month clothes and into our 3-6 month cloths.  :(  It's always sad when we start packing away our favorite outfits.  But I know we will quickly find new ones that we love.

The boys are still in love with their baby sister.  The love talking to her, giving her her paci, bringing toys to her, holding her, hugging her, kissing her-you name it!  I am so glad they haven't completely rebelled about having a new baby in the house and they have been really understanding about me not being able to do things for them right away.  My little boys are growing into little men.

It has been so much fun to watch Finley grow and change the past two months.  I know the next two months she will change even more.

Our Little Preschooler

To say Brody was excited for preschool to begin is an understatement.  This little guy has been talking about going to preschool ever since last March when we went to the preschool round-up to sign him up.  Every time we drove by his school, he would point it out saying "There's my school!"  Well, the day came for preschool orientation and he was convinced it was his first day and that he was going to meet all of his classmates.  I informed him it was just orientation and his friends wouldn't be there.  He was ok with that, but it was still his "first day" in his mind.  You learn very quickly that you don't argue some things with a four year old because it's not worth the time or energy and you just need to go with the flow.  It makes for a happier mama and a happier four year old.

Well, since it was his "first day" he insisted on pictures being taken.  This little guy was hamming up the camera:

 

 And since when does he look like he's a teenager?  Well, we had a great time at orientation.  He was super comfortable with his teacher, the aide and the classroom because Hunter went to the same preschool for two years and we love it there.  Honestly, we can't say enough about how perfect of a fit it is and we know our kids are loved there. 

 

Well, the "second day" came and I wanted my "first day" pictures.  So, Brody got out the ol' trusty chalkboard and wrote his name.  He wants to be just like Hunter.  I started the chalkboard for Hunter in kindergarten, but I'm glad Brody wanted it for preschool too.  It will be so fun watching his handwriting progress over the years.

 

 Gotta love the backwards D and the three lines for a "Y"

 It's hard to tell if he is excited, isn't it?

 Our little preschooler!

 Brody outside of his school.

Brody in front of his locker.

 

The first day was a success and so have the days following.  He loves school and can't get enough.  He only goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 1/2 hours each day.  I think he wishes he could go everyday, but we can't have our little boy grow up too fast.  It will be a fun year for him to build up relationships with other kids and learn to trust more adults-although he already loves the two there already and feels like he knows them oh so well.  Oh, and the best part!  The trains are set up in his classroom.  This boy is in train heaven!

Seven Weeks

How is it possible that this little lady is already seven weeks old?  Time is flying by and I am trying my best at soaking up every moment of baby time since she will be our last one.  Yes, I know we said that before, but this time, it's for real.  I just wish she would stop growing so fast and stay little, but as you can see from the rolls on her arm, she is growing really fast.
Last week at Brody's 4 year preschool physical I asked the nurse if we could put her on the scale too because I was curious how much she weighed.  At birth she was 8# 13 oz.  When we left the hospital she was 8# 7 oz.  A home health nurse came to our house when she was six days old and she weighed 8# 11 oz. and at her 2 week check-up that happened when she was 2 weeks 5 days she was up to 10# even.  Well, at 6 weeks 1 day, she tipped/ the scale at 12#!  Baby girl, slow down just a little!  But really, her chubby cheeks, chubby arms, chubby thighs and round tummy are so cute!!  But, I'm not ready to move up to the next size of clothing, but we are getting close as some of her 0-3 month clothes are getting a little snug.
Finley is pretty much a perfect baby.  She is already sleeping anywhere from 7 to 9.5 hours in the night and after being up for about a half an hour for a diaper change and feeding, she is down for another 2-4 hours.  (Sorry to all those mommy's out there who are still struggling with this!)  But really, I think God knows I need this with Craig being gone and having to have the energy with two busy boys as well.  She rarely cries.  When she wakes up in the early morning, it is little squeaks I hear on the monitor.  When I look to see her on the monitor (video monitors are amazing!), she is just wiggling her arms and kicking her legs.  We have taken her to Duluth, Fargo and Bemidji and she does amazing in the car!  She is a great shopper right now.  Seriously, no complaints with this little girl.
One of the questions we get all of the time: Do the boys like her?  Absolutely.  They are in love with their baby sister.  Brody calls her his little cutie pie.  I have caught Hunter talking to her when she is playing on the floor or waking up from a nap and he makes it to her before I do.  I have caught him holding her hand while she is in her crib-it is so sweet.  There is no doubt in my mind that these two boys will protect her from any harm in the world and will love her forever.  We will see if my thoughts on that change once she starts moving around and stealing their toys. :)
It is so fun watching Finley change and grow every week.  I know the weeks are going to fly by and before we know it she will be a year old.  It only takes 52 weeks and we're past seven already.  But for now, I will just enjoy her being little and getting in as much snuggle time as possible.

We have ourselves a first grader!

 

Yep, it's official!  Hunter's a first grader!  This picture doesn't show this little man's true feelings, but he was not looking forward to his first day of school.  He did not enjoy his time in kindergarten, so why would he want to go back?  After many chats of how this year would be completely different than last year, we convinced him it was worth giving it a try (what he didn't know was that he had no choice).

So, he laced up his new tennis shoes, put on his outfit and got ready for the day.  He still was not convinced he was going to like it.  After snapping a few pictures, he went to the bus stop with his neighborhood friends.  There was no fighting getting on the bus, thankfully.  I was a little worried that he would refuse to get on.  Especially when he was pouting that morning because he did not want to go to school.

Well, after a day of wondering how he was enjoying school, the wait was over when he got off the bus.  I couldn't read his expression.  Finally he made it across the street and I gave him a hug and asked him how his day was.  His face lit up and he said, "Awesome!"  Phew!!  It looks like his first grade jitters are gone and so far he is loving school.  We are excited to see what this year holds with a new teacher and learning new things.  And the best thing-he's excited now too!

On the Road Again

"On the road again.  Just can't wait to get on the road again." -Willie Nelson

 

My husband may somewhat agree with the lyrics to this famous song.  He likes being on the road working and taking on the challenges of new work projects and seeing new scenery, but I was not agreeing with Willie on Tuesday morning.  My husband was leaving to Texas.  Do you know how far away it is?  Really far!  To be exact, it is just over 1,000 miles depending on which route you take to the little Texas town of Panhandle.

 

Since the last time we were in Texas, which was almost 4 years ago, we have been very blessed by having Craig on projects close to home.  So far, since buying our home, the furthest he has been away is 8 hours.  But this time, it is completely across the country and it will take me more than a days drive to go and see him if I choose to.  Or if there is some sort of emergency, he can't just drop everything at the drop of a hat and be here in a short amount of time.  Even if he were to fly, the closest airport with a direct flight to the cities is a 4 hour drive, plus a 2 hour flight, plus a 2 hour drive home from the airport in the cities.  So it would take a minimum of 8+ hours if everything went smoothly and a flight was leaving the exact moment he arrived at the airport.  Slight panic mode!  Ahhh!

 

This project has been a long time coming and we have a lot of emotions invested in it already.  Shortly after finding out we were expecting a baby, Craig received his project assignment to go to Texas.  Now I can't remember exactly when he received it because my pregnancy was awful, always feeling sick, super tired...you know, all that fun stuff, but we were told he would be heading down May 6th.  Now to the average person, this would be ok, but hello!  I was pregnant!  My husband was leaving, I was sick, would he make it back for labor/delivery, etc.  And of course emotions were every which way on the chart.  So there were a lot of tears and sleepless nights.  But, I prayed, because what else is there to do and who else to trust than God.  He has it all planned out, right?  Right!  Well, as that start date inched closer, it changed.  He was then going to leave the first week of June.  Perfect!  Well, kind of.

 

If it was the first week of June, Hunter would be out of school for the year and we could just move down with the boys bringing air mattresses, clothing, a few toys (boys need their toys), the pack and play and just kind of rough it.  That would give us the summer together, he could be at the hospital when our little girl arrived, we would have another month together after she was born and we would head back to MN once school began.  Yes, I realize this was a little crazy and not sure if I would have gone through with it, but in my mind I was thinking we would have two little Texans.  But then, plans changed.  Good grief, quit playing with my emotions and plans!  I'm a planner!!!

 

So, the start day moved to just after the 4th of July.  Ummmm...I'm pretty sure his boss forgot I was due July 23rd!  So what, go to Texas for a couple weeks only to come home for me to have a baby (if we were lucky) and Craig was planning on staying home for 2 weeks once Finley was born.  I made Craig remind his boss (who has no wife or kids as of yet) of our situation.  Not that it really mattered.  He kind of laughed it off when Craig would remind him.  Craig told me that he told him that if the project was pushed back that late then he wasn't going to Texas until our daughter was born.  I reminded Craig that it wasn't up to him to call the shots, but he assured me it would be ok.  So, I continued to pray that God would work everything out time wise and that Craig would get his way. 

 

Well, the 4th came and went and the project wasn't going to begin until August 1st.  Woohoo!  We kept buying ourselves sweet, sweet time.  But his boss told him we needed to have the baby July 17th so Craig could take his two weeks off and return to work the 1st of August.  Hey buddy, you can't just plan like that unless you're having a C-section.  But guess what, he got his way!  On July 17th, we welcomed our beautiful little girl, Finley Kaisa, into the world.  I was a little upset that he got his way, but was so happy to be done with  my pregnancy and have my daughter in my arms. 

 

Let me tell you, two weeks flies by.  It is gone in the blink of an eye.  A few days before the 1st, Craig called his boss to nail down his return date.  I overheard the conversation and Craig told his boss I was having a hard time about him going back to work (I was actually ok with it and ready to take on the challenge) so was wondering if he could just stay home over the rest of the week (the 1st was a Wednesday) and start the next Monday, the 5th.  His boss was ok with that since during Craig's time away from the office, the project had been pushed back once again (the owner was having troubles getting all the financing in order).  Woohoo!  We bought ourselves more time together.

 

Well, the 4th came and he went back to the cities not knowing when he would head to Texas.  It could be in the next couple of days or it could be the following week.  Still so many unknowns.  Seriously, some days his job is worse than the military in that sense.  Waiting, waiting and then boom!  You have to move in a day or two.  Anyways, he went back to the office and still waited.  In the meantime, they gave him a raise and a promotion and a company vehicle, so we can't complain too much, but still didn't know.  Finally it was decided he would leave MN on September 3rd and begin work on the 5th.

 

Leading up until the day, I was struggling.  I knew it was real this time.  We had been blessed with many extra days together.  Everything worked out perfectly and we knew that he would eventually head to Texas.  But really, the first day of school AND my post-baby Dr. appointment day?  I guess it could have been worse, but I knew emotions would be high that day!  The weekend before was really busy, but really fun.  We spent time with friends and enjoying our family.

 

The 3rd came.  We got our 1st grader ready for school and sent him off on the bus.  He wasn't eager to go, but thankfully had a great first day!  Then after sending him off, it was time to say good-bye.  Ugh.  I will be honest and say I was very emotional, begged him to stay (which I always do), but in the end, let him go.  But not without a picture in is fancy cowboy hat and new truck.  After all, he was going to Texas!  Yee-haw!  He got into his truck after one last hug and kiss and I told him how proud I was of him.  I said good-bye and went inside with two kids waiting for me.  I quickly put on the game face shortly after we waved good-bye.  Honestly, it's not going to do me or my family much good to sit here and dwell on the fact that Craig is not at home with us.  Instead, we need to be thankful that he has a job.  A job that pays well, has great perks and benefits and most importantly, allows me to stay home with the kids.

 

Life on the road is not easy on any of us.  The boys struggle-especially Hunter.  He knows how life used to be having Craig around all the time.  But, Craig has prepped him and Hunter goes into a mode where he acts as if he is the man of the house.  He helps, he takes care of either Brody or Finley if I'm tending the other.  He has had to make supper, especially when I was super sick with the pregnancy.  The kid can make a mean Eggo waffle. ;)  And even with all that, he remains super sweet and loving and is so thankful for everything he has. Brody doesn't like it, but tolerates it because this is what we have done his entire life.  He doesn't know it any other way.  There have been times where he has punished Craig for being gone and won't give him the time of day, but right now that little boy loves his daddy more than you will ever know!  He is all over him when Craig's around and is constantly giving hugs, love and "too many kisses" (his version of a kiss attack).  Finley, well she doesn't notice yet.  We now have iPhones so our hopes are to FaceTime and for her to see Daddy while he is on the road so she doesn't forget him or his voice.  It will kill me and I'm sure Craig, if he comes home for a rotation and she doesn't want him or his scared of him.  And me, well I don't like it, but I tolerate it.  I put on this tough girl act but inside my heart aches and I miss him more than words could ever describe.  He knows it too, but I need to stay strong and to the outside world, I am, but to him, I'm real.  But in the end, I'm proud of him and thankful to have a husband who is willing to sacrifice time away from the family in order to provide.  Thankful for being able to stay home with our three kids and not miss out on their lives because trust me, they grow fast.  In the end, I think Craig has the short end of the stick.  He's not the one having fun with the kids.  Instead he is working long hours.  He's missing out on the little things that add up to the big things.  But for now, this is what we're doing and it works.  It's not easy, but it works.  And that's ok for now.  Ideally, we would love to be together, but for now we will make it work the best we can and enjoy every ounce of our time together. 

 

So in the end, we are living life apart again.  He is "on the road again".  His trip down went great, he's excited to be there and we are excited to see the project through pictures and hear about all of his adventures.  And the plus side, he will fly home next week. :)  I'm starting up this blog again to try my best to put the "little moments" on here in case I forget to tell him during our conversations in the evening.  So get ready for more updates on three adorable kiddos as we experience life on the road again.

 

Here are a couple pictures of Craig before hitting the road:

 

 Don't Mess with Texas.

Away he goes!  

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

These two cuties want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!

 

(And are you really surprise Brody has a Thomas V-Day shirt?  Thanks for coming through Target!)

Adios First Trimester!

Today officially marks the first day of my second trimester and I am so excited and relieved.  It means I am already 1/3 of the way done with this pregnancy (holy cow it's flying by!!) and hopefully means I am done with this miserable first trimester.

It started out great.  We found out that we were expecting Baby Z #3 on November 26th.  We decided that we wanted to wait to tell family and friends that we were expecting just to make sure everything was going ok and the risk of a miscarriage is significantly higher in the first trimester.  We decided that we would wait until Christmas and do something fun to break the news.

So, things started out great.  I was feeling amazing, full of energy, excited for about two weeks.  Then morning sickness hit and hit hard.  I could hardly eat, drink, was tired 24/7.  I knew I couldn't last until Christmas feeling like this.  So we called our family and close friends and broke the news.  I needed back up with Craig constantly on the road for work.  Of course everyone was ecstatic, and a bit shocked.  (We really thought we were done, but God has bigger and better plans for us.) 

Two days before my first dr. appt. I couldn't take it anymore.  I had been sick for about a week and was already down 5 pounds.  The house was a disaster because I was literally on the couch or in bed for about a week straight.  My sister was amazing and would come and catch up on dishes and my brother would bring us supper and get the boys ready for bed.  They were and are my little helpers and I am so thankful to be living so close to them.  I would also bring Brody over to my dad's from time to time just so I could sleep.    So...I called the doctor's office and talked to the nurse.  She prescribed me some meds and I was pumped.  I picked them out and then, luck would have it, felt amazing without taking them.  Seriously?  But the next day it set in again.  So I got the pills out, took one and pretty much instantly fell asleep, but wouldn't allow myself to fully fall asleep because I have a three year old running around.

Well, I slept more than I thought I did.  And it was for four hours.  And it was time to take another pill.  I got up and realized Brody had a hay day spreading crackers and cereal across the living room and kitchen floor.  I know he was just helping himself to a snack, but it was really bad.  So I took another pill and instantly got really lethargic.  I then knew I would never ever take that pill again if I wanted my kids to live.  Otherwise I probably would sleep 22/7.

I went to my first appt. December 6th and everything went well.  Got to see baby (well, honestly I didn't see it.  I could see the sac, but as far as seeing a baby...I felt like Rachel on the episode of friends where she doesn't see it.)  Heard the strong heartbeat-172!  And got a due date of July 23rd.  She also prescribed me some other meds.

The new meds were working amazing!  I could eat, but not a ton.  Throwing up lessened.  I was still tired, but not to the extent of sleeping all day long.  I was able to enjoy a long weekend trip to Arizona to visit family and survived the holidays...barely.  I was exhausted and the exhaustion set into full blown morning/all day sickness again.  Thankfully Craig was home over Christmas break and entertained the boys and I did a lot of sleeping.

This lasted for about 2 weeks and I went to my next appt. on January 3rd.  Baby was still growing and looked like a baby!!  You could see the spine and little hands waving around and the heartbeat was a strong 171!  It was very exciting and she said that at my next appointment, if baby cooperates, we may be able to find out what baby is!!  Next appointment date: January 31st!!  Kind of crazy, but exciting!  Anyways, she said the morning sickness will continue strong for the next week or two and hopefully simmer down after week 12 of being pregnant. 

Well, the weekend passed.  We went to church followed by a potluck and meeting.  We got home and I was feeling off.  I was waiting for my meds to kick in, but it wasn't happening.  I laid down on the couch, tried napping but felt uncomfortable.  Craig packed up to head back to his project and I told him he really shouldn't leave because I didn't feel good.  But, I knew that wouldn't work.  But, then about 15 minutes after he left, I was sick.  Like I had the flu type of throwing up.  I called my brother to see if he could bring supper and put the boys to bed.  He agreed and I laid on the couch.  And then when he got here made my way to bed.  But was up every 45 minutes or so and was throwing up violently until 5:00 AM.  I tried drinking water but it would not stay down at all.  I felt weak, tired (I didn't sleep all night) and super dehydrated.  I finally was able to fall asleep after 5:00 but woke up at 6:45 to the alarm clock to get Hunter up and ready for school.  I called the clinic at 7:00 to talk to the nurse, but they didn't open til 7:30.  I managed to get Hunter ready for school and send him on his way.

I finally got a hold of a nurse and they said to come into the clinic at 9:30.  I called my parents and my mom came out to watch Brody and my dad said he would bring me in.  I was in no state to drive.  I managed to get dressed and throw my hair in a pony tail.  After checking on baby at the clinic it was decided that I would get IV's.  So, I told my dad that it would take at least another hour. 

I took a little rest while they got everything situated and then began my IVs.  I felt a little better and super hungry.  She told me that I would want to eat right away and should because odds of it staying in were better since I had fluids in me now.  1 liter later, I was on my way to get more anti-nausea meds and some Dairy Queen.  I had about 2 bites of my sandwich and 3 of my blizzard and thought it was the most disgusting food I had ever ate.  I came home and napped the day away.

And the next day too.  My in-laws came out and made supper and helped take care of the boys one evening which was so nice.

Finally by Thursday I was starting to get a little better.  And at 10:00 Thursday night I was so hungry I grilled myself a burger on a George Foreman.  It tasted amazing.  And since then I have been feeling good as long as I stay on my meds.  I have gradually weened myself down to 2 pills a day vs. 3 which is so nice.  And today....drum roll please...I made it the entire day with no meds!!!  Hello, Second Trimester!!  It is so nice to see you and finally have some relief!!!  (Although will this mean that the friends who have been calling me Duchess due to similar symptoms will stop?  Probably not...we are both due in July.   ;))

Now, I am hoping this wasn't a fluke and it continues and the next 3 months are a breeze.  The past month and a half have been exhausting and not so much fun, but it's been a wonderful diet.  Down 12 lbs.-that's surviving the holidays!  I can only imagine what it would be like if I wasn't on any meds.  But I know it will be worth it in the end and will do anything it takes to make a healthy little baby.  And I know that eventually the weight gain will increase and that's ok.  As long as baby is growing and is healthy and I am too, that is what matters.

Here is to week 13.  The first day of my second trimester.  Baby is the size of a peach.  Bones, fingertips, veins and organs are starting to form.  And baby is moving its arms and legs around-which I can't wait to feel!!