Picture Day

I was a terrible Mom with both Andrew and Ally and never did any professional pictures of them while they were babies. I have tons and tons of snapshots taken by me and family members but never made time for the professional pictures. We now do family pictures with Jim's family every year at Thanksgiving while his brother and his family are in town and I have Kelly's sister-in-law (who is a photographer) do pics of the kids every year about that time. I figured I would just get Vanessa's pictures done at that same time until I was introduced (by my sweet friend Liz) to Wink. fotos by Emily Clark. My cousin Lacy also used Emily for pictures of her baby and I fell in love!! Emily came over today for our photo shoot and can I just say what an amazing photographer she is!! I haven't seen any of the pictures yet but can tell they are going to be great just by what she was doing. I was so nervous because Vanessa was quite cranky this morning and didn't really want to sleep. Luckily, she fell asleep about 15 minutes before Emily arrived and was perfect for the entire shoot. Emily was also great and took some pictures of Andrew and Ally with Vanessa and then she took Andrew and Ally outside and did some of just them. I am soooo excited to see the proofs. I promise to post some of the pics as soon as I can. Here is a sample of how adorable Vanessa looked though (just remember, this is my attempt at photographer, I promise Emily's will be much, MUCH better!!)

Two Weeks Old

Wow! How time does fly! I can't believe Vanessa is already two weeks old. We went to her doctor appointment yesterday and I'm happy to report he said all looks great! He still doesn't have the results from her second PKU test but after examining her he said he'd be surprised if it came back abnormal. She now weighs 8 lbs. and is 20 in. long, which is still smaller than either of the other kids at birth but at least she's growing. She is still a pretty content baby as long as she is fed or sleeping. She is awake more throughout the day but only wants to be put down for about 20 minutes while awake which makes things a little hard on me but I have to admit that I do enjoy just sitting and holding her. She is still very loved by Andrew and Ally. Ally was mauling the poor thing at the doctor office yesterday (showing off what a great big sister she is). We are all really enjoying her and the happiness she brings into our home.

Who Does She Look Like??

As new parents we are constantly getting the question of 'who does she look like, Andrew or Ally?' To be honest with you, I can't quite tell. There are times that she looks just like Ally to me and other times that she looks just like Andrew. Today, after being asked again, I decided to look at Andrew's and Ally's baby pictures to see if that would help decide...



Andrew (I'm a little worried 'cause I can't find most of Andrew's first year pics on our computer. What could I have done with them???)



Ally

To be honest, looking at these didn't help much. I guess we'll just say she got the best of both of them for now.

Bath Time

I have quickly learned that with a newborn comes many, many blog opportunities, which I love but I'm not so sure Jim will feel the same way when the house starts to suffer. I figure an hour a day will help me keep up and not take too much away from the kids, housework, etc. Now, it's just sticking to that hour.




Vanessa really does not like baths right now. I have to say, I don't blame her. I don't think I would like to have to lie on a towel while someone wipes me everywhere with a wet sponge. I try to hurry as quickly as I can since she is screaming the entire time but this morning Ally really wanted to help out. She was super cute cleaning her and singing to her the entire time even if she did take longer than Vanessa wanted. Good sister bonding!

Dad Time

One of my favorite things to do is to watch and listen to Jim and the kids interact when they don't know I'm watching or listening. At the end of my pregnancy I wasn't sleeping well at night so Jim was always the first one up and some mornings Ally would get up before I did. Jim would get her cereal and they would sit and eat breakfast together. One day I was sort of feeling guilty and thinking about getting up but then I realized that these moments were very good father/daughter bonding moments (plus it gave me an excuse to sleep longer ;)). So, instead of getting up, I would just lie in bed and listen to their conversations, which were mostly dominated by Ally. Jim is the same with Andrew. It's fun to watch them watch sports together. Jim will flip between games and each game he changes to Andrew asks who they are cheering for. Jim will sometimes tell him the team (St. Louis or Boston in baseball) and sometimes, if he doesn't care, he lets Andrew choose the team, with Andrew usually choosing the team that has the most points. Jim is always willing to answer Andrew's questions about each sport which is quickly developing another sport fanatic in our house. As you can see by the picture, Jim is enjoying interacting with Vanessa even though she's not too responsive right now. He has been so wonderful and helpful with her and Andrew and Ally while we've been making the adjustment to having a newborn in the house. It's great, more observation and enjoyment for me!

Saturday Vanessa was having a hard time taking her naps. She'd fall asleep on one of us and then once we put her down, she'd only sleep for 10-15 minutes and then she'd be up again. As the day went on she got crankier and crankier from lack of sleep. Another great photo opportunity came when I walked into our front room and saw this...


Vanessa, like her sister, already has Dad wrapped around her finger or maybe all of them.

One Week Old

I can't believe a week (okay, technically as I'm typing this it's a week and two days, but who's counting) has already gone by since Vanessa has joined our family! Time has flown!! She is an amazing baby. All she wants to do is eat and sleep. She sleeps for three hours at a time, even at night, wakes up to eat and maybe open her eyes for 1/2 an hour and goes right back to sleep. She knows how to make a happy mom.

To celebrate her one week birthday we got to visit the doctor for her second PKU test. Her first test came back positive for hyper or hypo thyroidism. I have to admit, I was a little in shock when the doctor called so I really don't remember what he said. Although, once he described the symptoms...real listlessness and no interest in eating, I calmed down. Vanessa is a very good baby but like her Grandpa Marks said, she goes from 0-60 in 2 seconds when she wants something or is not happy. No cute little rev up cry for this little girl. She also LOVES to eat!! Like I said, if she's awake, she wants a bottle. But, to be safe I took her in to have her poor little heel (that still has marks all over it from the hospital) pricked. The cute nurse pricked her heel and started squeezing. She got 3 1/2 of the little circles filled and Vanessa decided to stop bleeding. The nurse kept squeezing and squeezing and nothing. She told me she could keep squeezing that heel or she could prick the other one. I told her to do what would be easiest for her and easiest in the long run for my poor screaming baby. We decided to prick her other heel and when I looked up at the nurse she was wiping tears from her eyes, she was so sweet!! The other heel produced the needed blood and we were off for home. Now, we just wait for the results, which we are hoping are negative, not that I really know what it means if they are positive but we'll see.

The above picture was taken yesterday at my mom's birthday celebration. My Grandma Stay didn't get to come to the hospital to see Vanessa 'cause my dad, her son forgot to call her and tell her I had the baby (wink, wink Dad). Grandma was feeding her and Vanessa grabbed a hold of the bottle. She sat and held it and then pulled it out of her mouth when she had enough. It was super cute to see!



Vanessa and Grandma Stay

Loving Brother and Sister

Andrew and Ally love Vanessa! They are always wanting to hold her, feed her and just take care of her. She makes even the smallest noise and they both run to check what she needs. Sometimes, like nap time, it can get a little frustrating for Mom, but I am so thankful they love her and enjoy being with her and helping her with what she needs. They are the best older brother and sister a baby girl could ask for.

Andrew's First Day of Second Grade

Andrew started second grade Monday. I can't believe how quickly the summer went. Jim stayed home from work again so I left Ally and Vanessa with him and took Andrew to his first day. He was excited and told me he wasn't 'at all nervous like he was in Kindergarten and first grade.' I guess he really is growing up. He came home very excited talking about the friends that are in his class this year and how nice Mrs. Rose is. I'm glad he enjoyed his first day of school and I really hope he keeps his enthusiasm throughout the school year. Fingers crossed!!

Ally saw that I was taking pictures and had to get one with Andrew before he left for school.

First Day Home

We were released from the hospital on Friday morning. It's nice to be in the hospital with nurses to help but I was so grateful to be back in my own house with Jim and the kids. Jim's company had their summer party in Park City the Friday we came home so he took Andrew and Ally up to that to give them something to do and me and Vanessa some time alone at home. It was nice to get some rest and to be able to enjoy time just me and her. I took the above picture in the nick of time since she decided to poop and pee all over her cute little outfit and me. Yes, I am having an adjustment period having a newborn again. Four and a half years is just too long to go without having a baby. But, thankfully she is a very good baby. All she wants to do is eat and sleep. It's great to have her here and home with us.

Vanessa is Surrounded by a Loving Family

Ally was so excited for her sister to finally join our family, as you can see by her smile. She couldn't wait to hold her and didn't want anyone to help her (luckily Aunt Dorothy and Aunt Melanie were right there, just in case).



Andrew was a little more skeptical about the whole baby thing. I just wanted one picture of him holding her but he kept saying no. We finally convince him to hold her while sitting on Jim's lap.



She was visited by so many of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and I wanted to get pictures of her with each and every one of them but while posting this realized I didn't get a picture of her with Aunt Kelly or Grandma Davis (oops)!







I am so glad that we are so blessed to have so many of our family living close by for these moments. We really miss the ones not here, Trish and Tim and Dave and Laurie when events like this take place. I am grateful that Vanessa and Andrew and Ally are surrounded by so many people who love them!

Vanessa Elise

Vanessa Elise joined our family on August 12. She weighed 7 lbs. 8 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long, which for me is a small baby.

My contractions started around 1 a.m. but were few and far between. I really didn't think too much about it, other than I wasn't getting much sleep, until around 6 when they were coming a lot closer and were quite a bit stronger. I started debating back and forth about whether I should have Jim go to work or not. Since he works 45 minutes away, I finally decided after he was all showered and ready for work to ask him if he'd like to miss work that day. He seemed a little shocked but willing to take the day off. I showered and finally decided to call my mom around 8:15 to come watch Andrew and Ally. She showed up around an hour later and we were off. By the time we were getting to the hospital around 9:30 my contractions were very strong. After checking in with the receptionist she took me back to a room told me to put on a gown and a nurse would be right in to check me. We sat there waiting and waiting but no nurse. Finally after 15 minutes Jim told me he was going to find one. He went out to the nurses station and asked if someone could come check on me since my contractions were coming 'every one to two minutes.' The nurse finally nonchalantly wandered into my room, told me to lay back on the bed and checked me. She looked at me with big eyes and told me I was dilated to a five and 100% complete. She walked out to the hall and all of sudden four other nurses were with her. One was prepping stuff for the baby, one was getting supplies, one was hooking me up to an IV, another was asking me questions, in between contractions and me death gripping the bed rail because the contractions were so strong. They kept telling me the anesthesiologist was finishing up with another epidural and would be right in. Finally, my knight in shining armor came in to rescue me from the pain. He got my epidural in me and nothing. I was still feeling every contraction and wanting to die. (I know I sound like a huge baby right now because many women have and still continue to have babies without any drugs and I really, truly admire them. I don't know how they did and continue to do it.) The anesthesiologist came to check how I was doing and decided to give me a boost right into the line. Still no help. About five minutes later I could still feel the contractions but they weren't lasting as long. Next walked in the doctor. Luckily by the time I was starting to push my friend the epidural kicked in. I only had to push three times and little Vanessa was born at 11:01 a.m. It was a very quick delivery (the receptionist told me if I ever have another baby, I better head for the hospital with my first contraction) and thankfully Vanessa was healthy. They left her with me and Jim for a while in our room and she just kept fussing. She was acting like she was hungry. Jim went and got the nurse and off they went to the nursery where she ate a full ounce. The nurses told Jim that it is very rare for a baby to eat like that so quickly after being born.

The only other bad thing about the quick delivery was that I tested positive for Strep B and since she came so quickly I only had the penicillin for 30 minutes when you are supposed to have it for four hours. They couldn't get Vanessa's blood to draw (you should see her poor heels and hands covered with prick marks and bruises) so they had to try later in the day. Once they finally tested her blood her white blood cell count was high so she had to receive shots of antibiotics for 48 hours after being born. The good news is that she tested normal on the day of check out so we could bring her home. She is such a beautiful baby and I am so glad to have her finally join our family. She is truly a blessing!!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

When your four year old comes to you during sharing time about the Draper temple open house and tells you she really wants to go to the temple, you do everything you can to make sure you go to the next temple open house; I was really glad the next one was so soon after. The night started out a little crazy with fits from both of the kids about what we were eating, Dad and Mom getting ornery because of the fits, etc., etc. As soon as we got to the temple everyone's moods changed. It was so fun to see the temple through the kids eyes and get to explain to them different things about the temple. It made it even better 'cause I could explain it in a personal way since my grandpa who passed away two years ago was never baptized and we could tell them how the work will be done for him. After the tour and cookies we went out for some pictures (Ally took the pic of me and Jim, which I have to say, turned out much better than I thought it would) and then stopped for ice cream on the way home. It was a wonderful way to spend time together as a family.

Baby Shower

My wonderful friends Camilla and Stacie and Kelly and my mom decided against all my pleadings and cries of NO to give me a baby shower. I felt a little stupid having one just because I already have two kids and my most recent was a girl. I caved (with really no choice) and I have to say it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed sitting and chatting with all my great friends and family who were able to come and help me celebrate our new addition. Thanks everybody!!

Long Time Friends

A while back (yes quite a while since I have been such a blog slacker) we got together with some long time family friends. We all became friends way back when we were first married (except for Ellison and Kelly) and all the husbands and Kelly worked at Big Planet together. We did quite a bit together back then...dates, a couple of trips, in fact Jim and I went on Ellison and Kelly's first date with them. Even after we all had our firsts we would get together now and then for dinner, etc. Then Wayne and Kelly decided to move to California and ruin all the fun (just kidding guys). We hadn't seen them since Andrew was six months old but got the great opportunity to get together for a family dinner here out our house while Wayne and Kelly were here visiting family. It was so much fun to enjoy the time together as adults and watch all the kids play and get along like they have known each other all along. In fact, Sydney quickly became Ally's best friend. It was so much fun getting together and getting to enjoy the wonderful friendships we have. Hopefully we'll get to do it again before another six years go by but for now, we will just keep up by blogs. The wonderful things that come with technology!

She Truly Marches to the Beat of Her Own Drum

For those of you who know Ally, you will already know the truth behind this post. She is her own personality and really doesn't care what other people think about her. As her mom (and someone who cares way to much about what others think of me) I really hope she stays that way and doesn't let people and their opinions influence her or her choices in life. One night after she was told (one too many times I'm sure) to go get her pajamas on she came out in a pajama top and tights. She wouldn't budge and change even after being told that tights were not pajamas. I figured you pick your battles and it really wasn't going to hurt her to wear tights to bed so I just grabbed the camera and took some pictures to one day show her just how goofy she truly was.



Another day she came walking into our front room wearing my oven mitts as flippers. These have now become one of her 'feet attire.' Another battle I chose to not fight and just take pictures instead...



She is so much fun to have around. Not a day goes by that she doesn't say or do at least one thing that has us laughing. I am so grateful she is in our family and my life!!