Thankful: Day Thirty

 What a month!  My life has been full of many blessings this month, and I have much to be thankful for.  As we come to the end of this season of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with.  This month has been challenging and joyful, painful, yet full of happiness.  How grateful I am that another wonderful, new life has joined our family.   

Peace out, November.  

Thankful: Day Twenty-Nine

I'm thankful for the blessing of healthy bodies.  {Knock on wood} Most of us are pretty healthy.  The boys are growing well, and we are rarely sick.  I'm so thankful for this wonderful blessing and for how amazing the human body is.


I'm grateful for the body's ability to heal, especially after the experience of child birth.  Amazingly, that pain was gone before Evan turned a week old!  {Now, I'm just dealing with the intense pain of trying to nurse with thrush, so I'm hoping my body can figure out a way to recover from that REALLY soon!}  It's incredible to me how newborn babies just come right into this world and start using their bodies--from the umbilical cord being cut and falling off to make a belly button, to the instinct to eat and survive, to how soon our bodies are able to move and use the breath of life--it's miraculous.  And, I'm also grateful that Ryan's body is able to heal so well because he's at the stage of life where everyday another bump and bruise appears--usually on his face.  In these pictures, he has cuts and scrapes, a bruise under the eye, and a bright smile to go along with it!  I guess he knows he's going to heal up soon, thanks to his wonderful blessing of a healthy body!     

Thankful: Day Twenty-Eight

 How thankful I am for fun things to do.  I love to play games and grew up in a family of game-players.  I'm glad that Kyle is learning a love for games and has been able to play lots of fun games with Granna this week. 

 I'm grateful that my boys like to play together--especially when they do so without hurting one another!  I love that they love to play with toys and read and sometimes even do these activities together. 

I'm also thankful that they keep me busy and are constantly wanting to play and have fun--like playing chase.  Ryan LOVES to play chase, and is so cute running around the house waiting for someone to catch him. 

I sure am grateful for fun and games! 

Thankful: Day Twenty-Seven

Today I'm thankful for the opportunity to attend church and learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm also thankful that the boys were so good today at church.  We had great lessons and felt the spirit.  Ryan enjoyed nursery so much that he didn't want to leave, and Kyle loved his class and was a good boy!  It was nice to be back today, and I'm grateful for my membership in this church.   

Thankful: Day Twenty-Six

 I'm thankful for my mommy!  It's so much fun to have her here, and I know the boys are enjoying time with their Granna.

We are trying to enjoy every moment and not have to think about her going home.  I don't like having to be so far away from so many members of my family, but it does help me cherish and truly be grateful for the times we do get to spend together.

 

I'm thankful for my parents and all they have done for me.  {I'm also thankful for Stephen's parents and what a wonderful son they raised!}  I wasn't the easiest child to raise, so I'm extra grateful forthe sacrifices my parents made in raising me.  I hope I've turned out okay and made them proud.  Being a parent myself truly does change things and has helped me see just a small amount of all that parents do for their children.  It has made me even more grateful for mine.  I love them very much.  For those who don't know, Evan's middle name, Michael, is in honor of my dad.  I wish he could be here, too, but I'm looking forward to February when the next trip is planned!    

Thankful: Day Twenty-Five

 I'm so thankful for a wonderful Thanksgiving!  The company was fantastic and the feast was delicious.  I'm also SO grateful that my mom arrived safely and was able to spend the day with us.  She was kept VERY busy entertaining Kyle and Ryan, which was a great help to me. 

Unfortunately, Evan has thrush.  I tried to get him in to the doctor earlier in the week, but because he's a newborn and not an "official" patient yet, I had to wait for a nurse to call me back before scheduling.  I waited and waited and heard nothing.  I called back on Wednesday and never heard back.  So, I tried to call the extended hours on Thursday morning because both he and I were in MAJOR pain--like the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life.  I had to finally have Stephen take over the phone because I couldn't even get through explaining the situation without crying.  Luckily, the nurse we finally got through to was sympathetic and called in a prescription.  Evan is doing much better, and I'm hoping to be on the mend soon, too.

  

Fortunately, the other 2 boys are doing very well and loving all the extra attention {and surprise presents!} from Granna.

The only other dark shadow on the day was the A&m/t.u. game.  I really had great plans for a thankful post about the Aggies beating the ever-living, ever-loving HELL outta those t-sips, but sadly, the game just didn't go our way.  So, after a rough day and a rough game, I'll just let a picture speak a few words about how we all felt when the time ran out....

I'm thankful for the holiday and hope that we can remember the good things about the day and get over the few painful memories soon! 

Thankful: Day Twenty-Four

 Happy Thanksgiving!  On this day of gratitude, we all have many things to be thankful for.  Our Family Home Evening lesson was all about being thankful, and we made some Thanksgiving hand turkeys for 2011 to display just a small bit of our gratitude. 

 Stephen: health, church, job, family, modern times

 Me: friends, church, health, family, sleep

 Kyle: school, owls, pumpkins, decorating, thanksgiving feast

 Ryan: blanket, drink, phone, food, buttons {only the last one was an authentic answer from Ryan}

*We didn't make a turkey for Evan, but I'm sure his would say something like: breathing, sleeping, pooping, eating, eating some more. 

 Grandpa: job, friends, family, church, da queen

Grandma: home, gospel, friends, family, Steve

I'm thankful for this season of Thanksgiving and for the holiday that helps us celebrate all the many blessing our Father in Heaven has given us!

Thankful: Day Twenty-Three

I'm thankful that Kyle has been so helpful with Evan.  He really has surprised me with how willing he is to grab things for me, throw diapers away, and be so kind and loving to the new baby.  Kyle loves to sit next to the baby while I'm feeding him, talking to him and kissing his head.  It's so nice to have a few moments of peace and quiet. 

And, I do mean a few moments.  Soon after that sweet, helpful boy is done, he's off to terrorize Ryan and cause all kind of raucous.  There have been several times that I've just about lost it between the two other boys starting to fight and causing other mayhem and foolishness.  It's 9:00 am, and I've already had to break up several arguments and take a toy away, leading to BOTH boys being in full-on tears.  Oh, well.  We've tried to warn Kyle about how being mean to Ryan will backfire.  Ryan has learned to fight back, much to my sadness, but it was inevitable.

To end on a positive note, Kyle has matured in many, many ways.  He is learning to share more, be more responsible, and tries to be more obedient.  He is caring--last night I wasn't feeling well, and he was so concerned, which was very sweet.  He still makes me laugh, which makes up for a lot of the frustrations.  Yesterday, I was trying to make HIM laugh, and I started singing, "I've got the moves like Kyle, I've got the moves like Kyle...."  He turned to me and said, "No, Mom.  That's not how it goes."  I asked him, "Oh?  How does it go?"  He immediately stood up on the bed, started shaking his booty, and sung "I've got the moves like Jagga, I've got the moves like Jagga..."  Stephen and I could not stop laughing!

I tell him all the time, it's a good thing he's cute.      

Thankful: Day Twenty-Two

Weeks like this one make me SO grateful for Kyle's school.  It's Thanksgiving break, so there's no school this week.  It's hard enough making it from Thursday to Sunday normally, and now he doesn't get to see his teachers or friends until NEXT Monday!  He's dying over it, too.  I think putting Kyle in preschool was one of the best decisions we ever made, and he and I both miss out on the days that he's off. 


Kyle has wonderful teachers who understand that he's a boy AND he's one of the youngest in the class.  I'm grateful for this, and hope that he continues to have teachers who "get" him.  I'm thankful that he's able to do fun things at school--lots of playing, parties, and crafts.  I'm hoping that this experience will give him a positive view point of school before some of the fun is taken away in public school. 

Kyle gets excited to show us what's in his folder everyday when he comes home from school.  I can't wait to hear all about the things he's learning and what he's made for the day.  Last week, he came home with a folder full of goodies, as well as some he was wearing.  All the 4 year old classes had a Thanksgiving Feast, and Kyle's class got to be the Indians.  I loved hearing all about how Kyle made the headdress and beads.  He told me he picked out feathers and cut the paper around to fit his head.  He wrote him name on his own, but told me he did an X instead of a K.  "X's are easy, mom."  For the necklace, he picked out paints and put the noodles in a bowl and moved them around with his fingers.  "Nathan did too much blue, and that was a bad choice."  Kyle also made a Thankgiving place mat by painting leaves and pressing them on the paper.  Then, he got to write out some things he was thankful for, with the help of one of his teachers.  He said, "I'm thankful for: Playing on the Playground, our feast, and I love Ms. Lora."  And, here's the whole get-up:
 

Kyle made a point of telling me that he didn't want to smile for this picture because he's an Indian--wherever that came from.  Even though he doesn't look thrilled in this photo, I know he's as thankful for being able to go to school as I am! 

Thankful: Day Twenty-One

Today I'm thankful for the beautiful world in which we live.  I love being able to be outside and enjoy nature--whether it be on a beach, in the mountains, or even at a neighborhood park.  {That is, I love to be able to *enjoy* being outside now that the weather has started to even off and not be over 100 degrees!}  It's so fun to watch the changing seasons, even though the places we've lived in the last few years only had slight season changes!  I have spied a few orange and red leaves on trees, which is exciting!  I love sunny days, as well as rainy ones.  It's amazing to watch cycles that exist in nature and how everything works so well together--evidence of a Supreme Being.

On a personal note, I'm grateful that we can get baby Evan out in the sun to cut down on the little tint of yellow in his skin, yet another small miracle from this beautiful world! 

Thankful: Day Twenty

 Today's thankful post is on something in shorter supply these days---SLEEP!  I am a girl who loves--NEEDS--sleep.  I don't have to sleep all the time, but I really don't function at my fullest on anything less than 7 hours a night.  One of my favorite things of all time is to just be able to wake up on my own, knowing that my body has reached its perfect amount of sleep, and I'm ready to take on the day. 

Alas, being a mother means sacrificing such luxuries.  Being the mother of a newborn only compounds the sacrifice.  Kyle is a deep sleeper, but wakes at the crack of dawn.  {I keep thinking I need to get some black-out shades for his room!}  So, even if Evan and Ryan are sleeping and I could also be sleeping, Kyle may be up and ready to go, so I have to be, too.

I'm actually not complaining too much, though.  Evan has been very kind to me.  He sleeps in good chunks at night, and I've already had several nights with 6-7 hours of sleep.  I'm thankful--EXTREMELY thankful--for that.

I'm also quite grateful that sleeping seems to make Evan happy, too.  He also seems to be able to sleep even with 2 older brothers running around or all up in his face trying to kiss him and talk to him.   

Speaking of sleep--Ryan and Evan are both sleeping now, so I'm off to shower and eat an uninterrupted lunch! 

Thankful: Day Nineteen

 Today I'm thankful for unexpected gifts.

Last Saturday, while I was in the hospital, I found a little gift waiting for me in my room:

I thought that was so nice and so unexpected and enjoyed serving it to the few visitors I had.

I also got flowers from Steve and Timee, which are just so beautiful.

I just love the way that these sweet surprises can brighten my day and put a smile to my face.  And, I've also received a lot of help this week in the form of acts of service--meals brought to the house and people being willing to help out with house work and taking care of the boys so I can rest or take care of Evan.  I'm so grateful for everyone who has been so caring, thoughtful, and willing to serve this week!

Thankful: Day Eighteen

Evan was born one week ago!  Time is a funny thing--in some ways, I can't believe he hasn't been here even longer, and in others, I still keep thinking he was born yesterday.  I'm so thankful that Evan is fitting in so well with our family.  I'm thankful that he seems to be another "Friday's Child," loving and giving, easy-going and happy.  He loves his swing and being snuggled up.  He's a little munch-mouth like Ryan was, too, wanting to eat ALL THE TIME, but I'm just taking that as a sign that he's healthy.  Evan sleeps pretty well for a newborn--the hardest thing for me is not getting to go back to sleep in the morning if that last feeding is too close to when the other boys get up.  It's been nice having Stephen around this week to help out with that, so I know that's going to be a big challenge in the coming weeks.

There are always so many concerns that go through my head when I'm pregnant--the unknown can be a big challenge.  How will the new baby be with the boys?  Will he be healthy?  How will we be able to adjust to now being outnumbered by our children?  Am I going to be able to keep it all together?    Thankfully, things are working themselves out.  We are all adjusting to having a new baby around and learning how to keep things together and take it all one day at a time.  I'm so grateful that we've had a great first week with our new baby Evan!

Thankful: Day Seventeen

 Today's thankful post goes out to grandparents.  I'm thankful for my own grandparents and for the many memories I have of getting to spend time with them.  I miss being far away, but I'm thankful for the relationships I have with my grandparents and for the love I feel from them. 

As a mom, I'm so thankful for my children's grandparents.  It's a very special relationship, and it's fun to see my kids light up when they get to spend time with {or talk on the phone with} or get a package from their grandparents. 

Grandma and Grandpa were nice enough to watch Kyle and Ryan while Stephen and I were in the hospital for Evan's birth, and I'm so grateful for this, too.  They all got to come up to the hospital that night and spend some time with the newest grandchild.  {I think they just *might* be thankful for the grandparent-grandchild relationship, too!}

I know it's hard that we live so far away from the boys' other grandparents, Granna and Gramps, but I'm getting so excited for Granna to come visit next week!  And, I know they keep up with the boys on the blog and love them very much, too. 

Thankful: Day Sixteen

Today I'm thankful for traditions.  One of the greatest things about having a family is being able to carry on or create traditions.  Some of my fondest memories surround holiday traditions or just memories made from other common and repeated family events--camping, Family Home Evening, father's blessings before a new school year, special treatment on birthdays, girls' night during father/son camp-outs, Sunday drives--okay, not my favorite. but fond memories nonetheless--games, quoting movies/singing at the dinner table, etc.  It's fun to think of how Stephen and I will carry on traditions from each of our families, blending some, and creating new ones of our own.

One thing my mom always did when a new baby came home from the hospital was to bring gifts for the older siblings from the baby.  I thought this was a wonderful tradition and wanted to continue it with our boys.

Here we are, ready to go home from the hospital--a little after 6:00 pm the day after Evan's birth.
 

Evan brought some presents for his older brothers!

A doctor kit for Kyle. 

An Ipod/Iphone protector for Buttons Ryan. 

I'm looking forward to all the fun traditions that go along with having a family!

**I forgot to add in yesterday's post about another sweet thing Kyle said about Evan.  When we dropped him off at school on Monday, the directors were all asking about Kyle's new baby brother.  They were excited for Kyle, too.  When Kyle was asked about how he liked Evan, he said, "I yike him a yot.  He doesn't made any bad choices."  They loved it, and so did I!  

Thankful: Day Fifteen

 I'm thankful for sibling love. 

I'm the oldest of six children, so I know plenty about having lots of younger siblings--rivalry, fights, teasing, rough-housing, having to share ONE bathroom, being annoyed when they hung around when my friends were over, etc.  But, I always had someone to hang out and play games with and our family dinners were never dull.  There was always plenty going on, and now that we're all grown, it's nice to have so many of the closest people to me to share in my life and to love. 

I'm grateful that my boys will have each other.  Three is much less than six, but it's nice to know that Kyle, Ryan, and Evan will have siblings to hassle and joke with, as well as to comfort and spend time. 

I'm also thankful that I get to be around to experience some of the sweet exchanges between these brothers, even at such young ages.  Right after Evan was born, Kyle got to come up and see him.  He came into my hospital room and told me how sweet Evan is and, "I yove him a yot!"
  

 Later that evening, both boys got to come up and actually meet Evan face-to-face.  Kyle was so excited to hold him and kept talking to him, calling him "sweet baby brodder" and asking Evan how he was doing, etc. 

Ryan could not have cared less about Evan when they first got to the hospital.  He was more interested in seeing me and running around the room.  But, when it was almost time to leave, he FINALLY made the connection that Evan was a real thing.  He got up close and started copying every move his baby brother made--opening his mouth, sticking out his tongue, yawning, moving his hands by his mouth, etc.  

Since he doesn't say much, Ryan just kept pointing to Evan, touching his nose and mouth, and being "soft," which really means he was patting Evan's head.

Now that we're home, Kyle is very interested in all things Evan.  He wants to ask about everything--how he eats, why he eats, what he eats, why I need to change his diaper, or why I'm doing anything I'm doing with him.  Kyle also likes to sit by me when I feed Evan and talk to him.  He's very concerned when Evan cries and wants to know "what I did to him." 
Ryan is also very sweet with Evan.  He wants to kiss him ALL THE TIME, and he's even learned to really pucker up and kiss--not just open mouthed, tongue kisses.  So far, Ryan's been very soft and kind to Evan, and only seems to be jealous of his brother's use of the baby swing. 

Knowing how siblings can be, I'm sure it won't be all happiness and harmony forever, but I sure am grateful for these early special moments of sweet sibling love. 

Thankful: Day Fourteen

Today I'm thankful for the ability to update this blog so that all our friends and family who live so far away can feel like they are kept in the loop with all the things going on with our life.  Technology is great in that way, since it always makes me feel closer to my loved ones when they know what I'm up to and how the boys are growing.  As part of my gratitude for this great blessing of being able to blog, today I'm going to tell the story of Evan's birth....


 After waiting and waiting and wondering if we were really going to make it to the 11th, I got a call late on the 10th from the hospital, telling me that there were no open beds at that time, so I had to call in the morning to see if I would be able to get in.  Already anxious, I now had another reason to not sleep well.  Luckily, when I called at 4:20 am, I was told that a room would most likely open up and to call back at 7.  I got up and showered with all the optimism I could muster and was rewarded at 7:00 with an answer to come in ASAP. 
When we arrived at the hospital, I changed, got into bed, and had the *lovely* experience of getting an IV.  I don't know what it is about me, but with ALL THREE babies, the IV has been the ABSOLUTE worst part.  This one was the worst of them all--they had to stick me three times AND redraw blood since the original sample coagulated.  I looked like a pin cushion!  Dr. Schmidt came in to check me and break my water soon after...at 8:41.  I was dilated to 5cm already, and my nurse predicted a quick delivery.  "Before 1:30....2:00, at the latest," she said.  Soon after that, the anesthesiologist came to put in my epidural, and they kicked Stephen out of the room.  I found this to be hilarious, seeing as he does anesthesia for a living, but whatever.  Then, it was time to wait.
 Around 10:00, I was still 5-6 cm.  We waited some more.  Around 11:00, there wasn't much difference, but--once again--my epidural was only really working on the left side.  I must be lopsided because the left side is always working and I can feel all the contractions on the right side.  I got some more juice and was good to go.  By noon, Stephen was pretty hungry.  I told him to go ahead and go eat to get it out of the way.  But, about 15 minutes after he left, my nurse came in to check me and I was suddenly 9-10 and ready to push as soon at the doctor was ready!  They started wheeling in all the carts and preparing the room for delivery, and I started to get nervous about Stephen not being there.  I tried to call his phone....which was in the room.  Finally, the nurse did an overhead page.  "Stephen Cooper to L&D 1.  Stephen Cooper, please come to Labor and Delivery room 1."  I was so relieved when Stephen walked in just a few minutes later.  {But, he hadn't even heard the page!  Good timing.} 
Dr. Schmidt was there in a minute or two, and just like that, it was time to push!  I felt like I didn't do as well as I could have because I couldn't feel anything that extra juice of drugs, but in four pushes later, at 12:42, four hours after they broke my water, our little man was out!  The first thing I saw was his scrunched up little face and then a foot with long toes.  {I always look for that first, to see if they have my hands and feet.}  LONG toes and LONG fingers.  Another miracle!
I had done my big part, and now it was Stephen's turn to take over--cutting the cord and taking pictures.   They took Evan over to evaluate him, weigh him, clean him up, stamp his feet, etc.  He was NOT HAPPY!  But, I don't mind that newborn crying sound at all. It's a sign of another sweet spirit making his way to earth, a blessing straight from our Father in Heaven. 

Being weighed--7 lbs. 15 oz.  Our biggest one!

 NOT HAPPY!

 Trying to get warm

 Our first photo together--right after delivery

First Photo of Dad and Evan

We had to get out the "Born to be an Aggie" cap.  

Evan's a little happier now--clean, warm, and had a little something to eat! 

How grateful I am to be able to have a record of this special day and to share it with you!