Lydia Elise: A Birth Story

9 days ago our sweet, beautiful, healthy girl joined our family.

Such a wonderful little spirit who we are all so in love with.

Her birth was exactly what I wanted and I feel so blessed.

Here is the whole story so I don't forget any details...

Just like my other babies, I started to have consistent braxton hicks contractions starting around 35 weeks. At my 36 week appointment I was about a fingertip dilated and only 20% effaced, which was disappointing because with Brielle at the same point I was 2 cm and 60% effaced. So I stayed on my feet as much as I could, went on walks, did squats and anything else I could to help me start progressing ahead of time. I would have inconsistent runs of contractions pretty often and at 36 1/2 weeks I had contractions about 5-7 minutes a part starting when we put the kids to bed at 7 pm, I noticed them during the night and they continued through the next day. They got closer together around 3pm and about 4pm, I called the doctor. They said it was too late for them to check me, but wanted me to go into the hospital to make sure I wasn't dilating too fast. I decided to wait longer (it's a 45 minute drive one way) and we went to the park to play as a family and feed the ducks. When we got home, I noticed they spaced out and then stopped. At my doctors appointment a couple days past 37 weeks, I was 2 cm and 50% effaced so we knew those contractions were doing something! At that appointment my doctor said she wanted to induce me a couple days early because 1. Liam was 9 1/2 pounds on his due date and 2. I progressed really fast with Brielle (I went from 5 cm to complete/crowing in 30 minutes) and she didn't want to risk anything since we live so far from the hospital. Like I said here, I didn't think either would happen again, but I wanted to not take any chances, just in case.

However, at this point I started to have some serious doubts about being induced. Even though I was induced with Brielle and it was a very positive experience, I still felt very unsettled. It was on my mind a lot and I wasn't sure what to do. I knew I shouldn't go over my due date, but I wanted so bad to go into labor by myself. I did a lot of research on ways to help my body go into labor itself, but I didn't want to do anything too extreme because I really wanted her to come when she was ready. Also at this point I started to feel very unsettled about getting an epidural. With both my kids it significantly slowed my labor down and in my labor with Brielle, the process of getting the epidural was very painful, and my back hurt for about a year afterwards. 

At each appointment from 38-39 weeks I was more dilated and effaced and they set up my induction date for the 27th, which was 2 days before my due date. That also happened to be my birthday and the only day the hospital had available for a scheduled induction. My doctor said all she planned to do was break my water without using pitocin and expected that to throw me into full-blown labor, because once my water broke with my other 2 kids, things went fast. 

The day before my scheduled induction, I was still having painful, yet inconsistent contractions as I had been experiencing the past week and I had my last appointment. My doctor said I was 3 cm, almost 4cm and she did as much of a membrane sweep as she could without breaking my water. She said Lydia was at a -1 station (basically the farthest she could be without me in active labor) and hoped that sweeping my membranes would jump start things. After my appointment I went to get my hair cut with my mom and then I went on a 20 minute walk with her afterwards while Richard played at the park with the kids. The walk definitely started some painful contractions, but once again, nothing consistent. I also had a bloody show and lost a lot more of my mucus plug. The rest of the day I spent finishing all the last minute things and spending time with Richard and the kids. We bathed the kids, put them to bed, put the carseat in the car, put our bags next to the door, laid out our clothes and went to bed early. We were supposed to be at the hospital at 7am for my induction, and we were all ready. 

Of course, Liam woke up twice that night, once to go to the bathroom and another time with a bad dream, and after the first time neither Richard or I could go back to sleep. My mind was running with all the things that would happen the next day, plus Lydia was rubbing her head into my cervix and moving around so much, I couldn't sleep because of pain. Then I started noticing contractions. And they were hurting pretty bad, but still very far apart so I didn't think anything of it, because that had been happening almost every night for about a week. Luckily they were so far apart that I was able to sleep during the breaks. Then all of a sudden I woke up and noticed that they were so bad I couldn't lay down through them, and only walking around and breathing made them tolerable. They weren't coming close together (I would guess they were about 7-10 minutes apart, although I never actually timed them), but after 2 of these contractions, I woke Richard up because the intensity of the contractions made me realize, "this is it". In between a contraction I said "Richard, wake up, I am having very painful contractions and this is it. We need to go to the hospital NOW" I looked at the clock and it was 5:00 am. I felt a huge sense of urgency and Richard could see that, so we got ready as fast as we could. I jumped in the shower to see if the warm water would slow them down. They started getting closer together (about 6 minutes I would guess) and the intensity stayed the same. While Richard got in the shower, I went downstairs to blow dry my hair (pausing to breath/concentrate through contractions) and then ran the kids monitor to my parents. My mom was so excited when I told her we were headed to the hospital! By this point, the contractions were getting more painful and we frantically put all our bags into the car, skipped breakfast and sped off at 5:30 am.
The contractions were hurting really bad, but during my break (I think they were about 5-7 minutes apart at this point and never got much closer together the whole time) I started to put my make-up on (we still laugh about this). About 10 minutes into the 45 minute drive, they started to get worse and so Richard called 911 to let them know he was speeding to the hospital and not to pull him over. They told him to call the hospital to warn them so they could get everything ready, and while he was on the phone I had some really bad contractions. He said "my wife is in labor and I am afraid she doesn't have much longer. Please have a room ready. O and she would like an epidural". Once we were about 5 minutes from the hospital the contractions were so bad that I was almost frantic during them, wanting to get out of my seat and walk around and the only thing that made me feel any better was screaming. That was a bad sign. I was desperate to get out of the car and during one of the really bad contractions I screamed "I WANT AN EPIDURAL NOW!" Well  we made it to the hospital in a record time of 30 minutes and I ran in while Richard grabbed our important bags. They had a nurse waiting for us when we got there and she asked if I wanted to stop in the .E.R. for them to deliver me or head up to the O.B. unit. I got into the wheel chair they had ready, yelled "GO!!!!" and pointed forward. They giggled at me and ran me up to the O.B. unit. I had hoped if we got up to the OB unit as soon as possible, I could get an epidural. However, the contractions were so bad and they could tell by how I was acting, it wasn't going to be much longer. 

We got there at a little after 6:00 am, they put us in room 335 and immediately got me on a table to check me during one of the contraction breaks. As she was checking me the nurse said "ummm, I can't find your cervix." I thought that meant I was digressing in my dilation so I threw my head back in defeat and moaned. Richard said "does that mean she is complete?" and as I said "no..." the nurse said "yep, that is exactly what that means. You are totally complete. Honey, you aren't getting an epidural tonight". We were shocked. I had been going through transition in the car...it all made sense now. I was still dressed, so I got into a gown as fast as I could during the break and they started breaking down the bed and getting things ready. I tried to breath through the contractions but it was getting almost impossible. They said they had called my doctor when we called, so she was about 15 minutes away. That was a long, painful wait. But I was so happy my favorite doctor and the one I wanted to deliver me was on call, even though she wasn't supposed to be on call that day. That certainly made the wait worth it.
Once the doctor got there at about 6:15 am, she checked me and confirmed I was totally complete and ready to push. She broke my water and after getting all dressed and ready, I started pushing. This is when I became frantic to be done because I was experiencing pain I had never experienced before. During one of the breaks I managed to say "please help me not tear too much". My awesome doctor said "don't worry dear, I will do everything I can to make sure you don't tear too much". The pain was so bad that I wasn't breathing enough and everyone had to remind me to breath so I wouldn't pass out. At about 6:20 am we were ready to really start pushing (the couple pushes before that was helping her get all the way down into the birth canal because she started at a -1 station) and all of a sudden this beautiful music started to play. We realized it was Richards phone going off for our alarm to wake us up to call the hospital to set up a time to come in and be induced. We all laughed at the irony while they set up the stirrups. 

Then a little after 6:20 am, I really started to push and her head started to crown. Everyone told me to reach down and touch her head, and when I did, I realized I was close to holding my baby. That helped keep me focused. The doctor coached me through the pushes telling me when to slow down, do small pushes, push hard etc. to help me not tear. At this point the pain was so overwhelming that the only thing I could do to handle the pain, was screaming at the top of my lungs. It was all I could do, and the only thing that helped the pain not be intolerable. I had to go deep into my mind to control myself despite the excruciating pain, and it was an experience I have never had to experience before, and one that is hard to explain. It was so intense, I started to panic and at one point the nurse had to stop me, because she was afraid I was going into shock. I got my breathing under control and everyone said "Mckenna, she is right there! Give us a good hard push and you will be done!" I pushed (and screamed) with everything I had and her head came out, one more push and the rest of her was born. The immediate relief as I saw her little body was more than I can explain. As they laid her on my chest, I was so overcome with happiness that she was here healthy, glad it was over, and so in love.

At 6:33 am, 1 1/2 hours after contractions started and 33 minutes after getting to the hospital, our beautiful Lydia Elise was born. 

I love that you can see Richard stroking my face. He was such an amazing support.

She cried for about 15 seconds, and then as soon as they put her on my chest and heard my voice, she instantly stopped and just looked around the room and stared at me for a long time. It was the sweetest thing. It was amazing to hold my little girl after dreaming for 9 months what she would look and be like. The doctor said I had a tiny little scrape, and I was so relieved. She said Lydia had a huge head, and was glad/impressed it wasn't any bigger. I held, admired and loved her (and regained my composure haha) for a long time. Then they took her to weigh, measure and examine her. When they put her on the scale, I was so interested to see what it would tell us. The doctor kept mentioning she was big, but I could tell she wasn't as big as Liam. I had thought 8 lbs 14 oz and Richard guessed 9 lbs 5 oz. Well they put her on the scale and she was 9 lbs 2 oz! I was pretty surprised! Another 9+ pound baby! No wonder it hurt so bad!!! And hearing that, I was so relieved that with such a big baby, I only got a "scrape". They measured her and she was 19 1/4 in long and perfect with all their tests. Everyone was very impressed because during all the pokes and prods, she just laid there totally content and never made a peep. She scored a 9 on her apgar test, and was announced a perfect, healthy, big baby girl.

 I was so proud and happy.

As my doctor was leaving we joked about how she was born 30 minutes before we were supposed to start my induction. This girl was determined to be born that day and share a birthday with her mama! Also, she mentioned that I need to make sure I live really close to a hospital from now on because that was too close! She said if my water had broken on it's own, we definitely wouldn't have made it to the hospital. Richard got a little run-down by several nurses on what to do if I don't make it to the hospital next time :)

The kids came later that evening and I was so curious to see how they would react, especially Brielle. They both walked in and when they saw her, they both got this super loving, tender look on their face and just watched her. Then they both got super excited and fell instantly in love. Even though Brielle is only 18 months, she was very soft, gentle and loving towards her. Liam held her for a long time, kissing, stroking and hugging her. He is head over heels in love with her and wants to have her next to him as much as possible. His new favorite thing to do is kiss her and just stare at her while stroking her head. No joke. Richard went home with them to put them to bed and as he left I warned him, he couldn't pull a Matthew Crawley, and had to come back in one piece. He minded me, and we enjoyed the night not sleeping cuddling our baby girl.

I have about 15 other darling pictures of him loving on her. So hard to choose from.

Holding brothers hand

The next afternoon we left the hospital because we missed our babies too much to wait longer, I hate sleeping at the hospital and I felt fine. As soon as we walked in the door Liam came running over and the first thing he said was "where is Lydia?!" The kids loved on her for the rest of the day and were so excited to have her home. They have been so sweet with her and Liam always wants her next to him. Whether he is eating or going to bed (we have had to have several talks with him about how she can't sleep in his bed with him). I am so glad they are both so soft and sweet with her!

3 days old

My recovery this time around has by far, been the best. I left the hospital with no pain meds and never needed them once I got back. By about 4 days postpartum I felt back to normal (of course except very tired from midnight feedings) and healed. My bleeding is pretty much gone and my stomach is almost back to normal (I get so stretched out that normally I still look about 3 months pregnant for the first week or so haha). I have lost more than half of the baby weight at 1 week postpartum as well. So really, it's gone so great. Nursing has been good, except she has a crazy strong suck so I am pretty...sore. And she eats a lot, so like my other kids, my supply is HUGE. That isn't so comfy...

In almost every way, her birth was exactly what I wanted.

I wanted to go into labor on my own: check

I wanted to labor as long as I could before going to the hospital: check (but no choice on that...)

I wanted to not need pitocin: check

I wanted to do it natural and not need the epidural: check (but again, no choice on that)

I wanted to go a little early and definitely before my due date: check

I wanted her to be big, but not too big: check

I wanted my favorite doctor to deliver me: check

I wanted to not tear: check (well my doctor didn't consider it a tear but in her words, a "scrape")

I wanted the least amount of interventions and pokes: check

I wanted to push for less than 15 minutes: check (it was about 10 mins)

I wanted a fast labor: check

I wanted to experience drug, needle and intervention free birth: check

I wanted a healthy baby girl: check

I had this conversation a lot with Richard about wanting the above things, but didn't think that would be possible. I am so grateful it worked out the way it did. It was the most intense and painful 1 1/2 of my entire life, but worth it. And the fact that I was doubting whether or not I should be induced and have an epidural  for a couple weeks before, was a big tender mercy, because I was hoping for that, rather than being disappointed it didn't work out that way. 

She is such a great baby! She never cries, unless she is starving and it is only a cry or two. When she is hungry she just grunts and roots around (which I swear she does all the time). She loves sleeping anywhere...her carseat, swing, bassinet, someones arms, you name it. She eats every 2 hours day or night, which is hard, but I am glad she is getting a lot of milk and my anti-bodies because Brielle has been sick for the past couple days :( So I don't refuse her when she is hungry (plus we love our babies fat! haha) or put her off. The transition to 3 has been much different than I expected. I will write more about that later. 

Truly, it was a wonderful experience and I am so glad she is in our life. 

She is only 9 days old, but I already feel like she has been in our family forever and I don't know what we did without her! 

Like I have said so many times before, we are addicted to having babies. 

In fact, a couple hours after she was born and I was cuddling her, I turned to Richard and said 

"Richard, how are we ever going to stop having babies?? I love this"

Can you blame us??

8 days old

The story of OUR house.

After being married (almost) 7 1/2 years, living in little apartments that consist of 650 square feet and soon-to-be 3 kids, we will have our own home. Our own starter home. I am still in denial, or shock really.

I feel like for the past 7 1/2 years we have been playing house.
Then the babies came, and it felt more real, but still, just playing.
We left our tiny 650 square foot apartment, the place we had spent the majority of our marriage together and our future was planned.
But now that we are building our first home together, to fill with our own appliances, furniture and keepsakes along with our 3 kids while my hubby becomes a doctor,
I feel like I have legitimately grown-up.

And for those interested, here are some FAQs answered, 

because I am sure there will be many Q's asked by a certain few :)

Why aren't you renting?!

The city where Richard's medical school is located, has some very dangerous non-family-friendly areas. Everyone, including real estate agents, told us to stay away from most of the areas except 2. One of them is a 30 minute drive (one way) from the school and the other area is the one the school is in. It is safe (it has an A+ rating on safety) , very family friendly, protected from the "bad" of the "scary" area by a big highway, and super close to the school. Since time with the family will be very limited because of how busy he will be, we opted to live in the area next to the school so we can spend an extra 1-2 hours a day with Richard (figuring in commuting time and the fact he can come home for lunch). This area doesn't have many rentals and the ones they do have are more than the allotment the school gives you for housing (because they only give enough for a single room apartment since the majority of the students are single men), requiring us to take out more student loans (NO THANKS!!) or not have enough for other expenses. It can be done, and we were going to, but it is definitely not ideal. Considering the only options were very small, with stairs (they are very hard with multiple small children and for that reason I REALLY don't like them) and no backyard and the fact I will have 3 VERY young kids, my time while he will be in medical school would have been awful really really hard. 

Long story short, we found out a couple months ago that my in-laws had sold their house and had a big chunk of money that they wanted to invest in housing for us (they are acting like "bank" and we are going to make monthly payments to them as if they were the "bank"). So we started looking at houses and because the area we need to live in is so nice, there were zero options in that price range. So we decided to look at all the options, including building. We found a perfect lot about a 2 minute drive from the campus for a decent price (and down the street from the brand-new elementary school and church building). And then we found out about a building company that could do everything we needed for the price we could do it in. The whole time we have been very cautious and did a lot of research to make sure it was the right decision. After all our research, we realized it very much is! 

What about the fact you are leaving in 4 years?

With the medical school growing by 30 seats a year and with their plans to open a P.A. school in a few years, we know that there would be a HUGE influx of students and a huge shortage of housing (and this school seeks after students who are LDS with families). So the possibility of renting or selling it when we are ready to leave, is very good. And the price of rentals with it's specs are VERY high, so worse case scenario and we can't sell it, we would make a lot by renting it. And like I said, there is a big market for that with the school growing so much. Plus, worst worst case scenario, and we can't sell it OR rent it out, we could stay there for 3-4 more years after medical school and Richard could very possibly do his residency there (and staying in our brand-new home we built in a very nice area wouldn't be a problem...hehe).
BUT even with all that considered, Business Insider predicts that Yakima will be one of the top markets to grow in the next 4 years (it should grow almost 8%) and it was named one of 15 of the best in the nation for housing markets because of that! And the neat thing, is we will be ready to sell in about 2017 when it is predicted to be at it's peak! HUGE BLESSING. 

How is it a good idea with property taxes, utilities, insurance etc?

Part of our research we did before making the final decision was to find out exactly how much that would be. The school gives you a utility and insurance allowance which is a little bit higher than what we will need to spend. And when we figured in the property taxes plus all the utilities etc. in the monthly payment, it is still much cheaper than renting.

What is the status?
The building permits have been approved, we have paid for the lot and closed on it, we paid the first deposit to the builder/contractor, temporary power pole is up and they are staking out the house on the property tomorrow so they can start excavating this next week!!

Will it be done by the time school starts?
The reason we choose the company that we did is because they are under contract to be completely finished with the project in 4 1/2 months. School doesn't start for another 5 months so we know it will definitely be finished in time. Their contract says 4 1/2 months, but they have been finishing houses in 85-90 days consistently and the main contractor is one of Richards relative and very old family friends, so we know we are in great hands. He knows our deadline and says he will definitely make it, with a good buffer.

What are the specs of the house?

almost 1500 square feet

3 bedrooms

2 full bathrooms

2 car garage

Walk-in closet in master bedroom (YAY!)

Kitchen bar

Covered front porch

Soaker tub and normal shower in master bathroom

Oil rubbed bronze fixtures (all lights and door handles)

Recessed lighting in the kitchen and covered porch 

Thick craftsman style trim throughout the house

Rounded corners on all walls and windows

Cheyenne doors throughout the house

Staggered cabinets in the kitchen

ETC

...perfect starter home!!!

(and I can't wait to put pictures of all the things we picked for the inside!!!)

So it is happening. 

I still can't believe it! The way this has come together is absolutely amazing. I really feel like things have been "guided" and really full of so many blessings. I know it sounds weird, but I have felt that way several times in this process. Like for example: as soon as we realized buying a house in that area was too expensive, I started looking at property and found the one we bought. We looked at other options and did our research trying to keep an open mind, but the whole time I felt a real sense of urgency. I quietly felt a little frantic. But I wasn't sure why because they hadn't had any offers on it since it hit the market almost a year before. Well we sped things through, put an offer on which they accepted and paid our earnest money. Almost as soon as we did that, the Realtor said they had multiple people put offers on it as back-ups and a lot of people very interested in it. She said that we did it at the perfect time. Now I see why I felt the urgency! If we would have waited much longer, we probably wouldn't have gotten it because they went $6,000 under their asking price and I am sure someone would have offered a full price offer! PHEW. 

Richard and I have had so much fun through this process! We are always talking about how we want to decorate the house, how we want to put a huge garden in the side yard and set-up our backyard asap (the yard is going to be HUGE!!! I am so excited). Richard is so excited to make some of the furniture we need  (like this kitchen table) and I am filling my Pinterest boards with ideas for our house. We had so much fun picking out all the things for the house (like carpets, cabinets, doors, flooring, windows, trim, fixtures etc) and we agreed on all of it!! We kept laughing the whole time because we would choose the same exact thing every time! We really are 1 mind and soul mates. We have had so much fun daydreaming constantly, making plans and getting randomly giddy when we think about it!

And lastly, we are SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL to my in-laws who have chosen to invest in this project so that our lives in medical school will be much easier! I feel so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful, supportive and selfless family!

Can't wait for our house to be finished so we can begin to fill it with fun memories!

The best 3 years

3 years ago, my life changed. 

In dramatic, wonderful, instantaneous ways.
3 years ago as I saw my precious boy for the first time when they placed him on my chest seconds after his birth, I was overcome with an eternal love that I cannot explain and something I could not have fathomed before he was born.
It was instant and all-consuming.
I didn't know him, but I loved him, more than I could imagine.

One of the most magic moments of my life.

See...I wasn't lying...look at his rolls! He had rolls EVERYWHERE.

So happy...all warm, full, feeling good with my baby sleeping next to me. 

The most proud, happy daddy in the world

Now 3 years later, I know him.

In only that short of a time, I know him so well. I know what his answers will be and how he will react in situations. I know the way he will feel and can accurately "guess" what he will say. 

I know him better than anyone else on this earth, and I love him more than anyone on this earth (of course, except his wonderful daddy). He is my best buddy, my little love who, with his 2 sisters and daddy, make my life complete.

He brings so much joy into my life and so much love, that I don't know what I did without him. For example, over and over again today he has cuddled with me, stroking my face and saying "I really love you mommy, with all of my heart" and "you are my best mommy in the whole world" and "I love you forever mommy". Really, I have been so blessed to be able to be his mommy. When I look into those big, excited, beautiful blue eyes, my heart melts and I can feel the amazing caliber of his spirit. Motherhood, really is the most amazing part of this earthly life. And being mommy to my littles, makes my life so full.

Love his goofy, in-the-middle-of-laughing smile!

 The past three years being Liams mama, have been wonderful. More than I can say.

He is my little best friend and I can't wait to watch him grow from his little boy self into a man.

 ... we are really celebrating tomorrow because my whole family was super busy today and then having his "friend" birthday on Tuesday so I will post pictures of present opening, cake eating and all the festivities after the two parties! Tomorrow is going to be packed full of all day Liam fun and I can't wait to see how excited he is :)

But even still, we celebrated with our little family by doing some of his favorite things. Day 1 of 3 celebrating this little man.

He loved it :)

(gosh, he is handsome)

2012, its been great.

4 hours and 2012 will officially be history. It leaves me stunned that this year has gone SO incredibly fast. But tonight I am celebrating all the wonderful things that have happened for us this year, and so excited for all the BIG things that will happen this year, like having baby #3 (I am still in shock we will have 3), moving to a new city we with call home for 2-4 years, hubby starting MEDICAL school and my little's growing up even more.

Here are all the things I am celebrating, in the typical (read: corny) Christmas/end of the year newsletter format: 

Dear family and friends,
Looking back at the past year, 2012 has proved to be one of the most momentous and exciting years we have had for our little family. It has been full of big life changes, wonderful blessings and memories.

In January, Richard took the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), even though he had not taken Organic Chemistry or Physics yet which comprise 2/3rds of the test, and he was only able to study for less than 2 weeks (most people study for 6-8 straight months). He was very blessed, did amazingly well and got a very high score. Richard also finished his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in pre-medical classes and Marriage & Family Studies, in July. As soon as he finished we packed up our little family, leaving our home of the last 4 years, and moved back to WA. Both kids did amazing with our big move (they had never moved, so we weren’t sure how it would go), impressing us so much! Shortly after moving, all of his hard work paid off and Richard was one of the first students accepted to Pacific Northwest University of Health Science’s class of 2017, our top medical school choice, which also happened to be his first medical school interview! He will start school August 2013 and is so incredibly excited to begin the road towards his lifelong dream of being a doctor. For now, we are all enjoying the year-long break he has from school and have been so spoiled by having him around so much, with no homework!!

The week before our move from Idaho, we found out that we are expecting our third sweet baby (surprise, surprise)! I am due at the end of March 2013 and we recently learned we are having another darling, active, healthy little GIRL! She will be born a couple weeks after Liam’s third birthday, and while having 3 kids in 3 years will be challenging, we are so grateful for the timing of our sweet girl joining our family. It will be so nice to have another baby during the year-long break Richard has from school, with live-in babysitters until she is 4 months old (we are blessed to be able to live next to my family during this break)! Other than taking care of our 2 young kids as a stay-at-home mom and being pregnant, I have really enjoyed keeping up on our family blog (http://richennaclan.blogspot.com), photography, writing for the parenting website “The Power of Moms”, spending time with my family & friends, exercising everyday (except Sunday), and cooking (yes, it’s a huge hobby).

Liam turned 2 in February and is such an amazingly sweet little boy! He is so gracious and polite it is mind-blowing and also extremely loving, randomly telling us how much he loves us multiple times a day while giving us hugs. He is such a good talker, so mature, smart and big for his age that people mistake him for a 4 year old almost constantly. When he was 2 ½ we started the potty training process and he was trained in 2 days (he is convinced that he owns a “potty train” somewhere). He loves friends, nursery, dreaming of going to school/growing up, animals, wrestling with Daddy, drawing, reading books, eating, playing with anything he can make a toy, playing in the dirt, collecting bugs/reptiles and cuddling. Liam is totally in love with “his” Brielle and very excited for his new baby sister to be born!

Brielle turned 1 in August and is our darling little blonde-haired, blue-eyed firecracker! She is the sweetest, funniest, flirtest, most friendly, outgoing little bundle of beauty! She is such a girly girl and is always running around covered in jewelry, skirts, bows and drama! She brings so much joy into our lives, it is overwhelming! She loves being around people, playing with friends, animals, dancing, babbling (which is quickly turning into words and sentences of her own “words”), copying people, singing, playing dress-up, to be tickled, playing with Dad, squealing, any kind of music and being held/cuddled by mommy. But her most favorite thing to do is wrapping everyone around her finger with her cuteness and pretending to be a puppy.

Richard and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary (time flies!!), and had a BLAST! We went away for a 2 ½ day trip just the two of us, which were the best days of 2012! It was so much fun celebrating the best 7 years of our lives married to our best friend. It has been such an amazing blessing to have our love, adoration and friendship exponentially increase every year. This year we have also continued to go on a weekly date, enjoying the time as star-crossed lovers.

2012 has proved to be yet another amazing year, and we are so incredibly grateful for the blessings that have come to us this year. We are so grateful for our Savior and the wonderful family, friends and memories we have enjoyed this year! May you feel the love of your Savior at this Christmas season and throughout the upcoming year!

Love Richard, McKenna, Liam, Brielle and baby girl

So there is the summary of 2012 and the awesome, monumentous year it was. I am so glad it was such a great year leaving so many big memories. But I am so excited for all the big things 2013 will bring!

P.S. I have been thinking of my motto for this year, more on that later...

Sweet-pea #3

Yes, it is true. So wonderfully true.

We go from a family of 4 to a family of five at the end of March (I am due the 29th)

Even though I am 3 months (12 weeks) a long and pretty much in the 2nd trimester, I am still shocked.

I am so excited.

So ready.

And a little nervous.

This baby is our "planned surprise" (more on that below)

I am due a month after Liams 3rd birthday, which means we will have 3 kids in 3 years.

But as hard as it might be at times, I know that I can do it.

I love being a mama so much and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Plus watching how excited Liam is to have another baby, makes me all the more ecstatic. 

He will regularly hug me around the stomach and kiss my growing belly while saying 

"Hi my baby. I love you so much. Whats your name? My name is Liam."

He loves to talk about the fact that his baby is growing next to my tummy 

and how he is so excited to play with it when it's big enough to come out.

Talk about the cutest thing ever.

I love watching our little family grow.

Getting to know and completely adore each spirit we get to welcome into our family.

I have said it before and I will say it again. We are addicted to having babies.

I can't wait to see our 3 littles together, loving each other and playing together.

March, please come fast.

So for those of you who are interested (and for the sake of journaling), here is the story: Last year, when we had been planning for Richard to start Podiatry school this August (in 2012) right after finishing his bachelors degree, we had decided to wait a while and space Brielle and our third out 2+ years, to give us time to get settled into our new life and school. 

Then around April this year, two things happened/changed. 1. Richard decided to go to medical school instead and because of the timing of things, he wouldn't be able to start medical school for a year after he finished his bachelors degree and pre-requisites (fall 2013). And that we would be moving home to live close to my parents so Richard could work for that year. The year off school sounded like the perfect time to have another baby, so we started praying... 2. we started having some neat experiences that made us realize, it was the right time to seriously consider having another baby. 

So at the beginning of June, after just weaning Brielle, we decided to stop birth control. Soon after stopping, we did the math and realized that would mean I would be newly pregnant, sick and exhausted right as we were moving out of state and during Richards finals. With the timing of Richards classes and our move, I would have zero help from him, except 1 day to load the car. So we decided to just use the "rhythm method" as birth control until after our move. Apparently, that wasn't enough. But we were too involved with moving, Richards finals and life to think about it much. Until the first week of July when I was almost a week late getting my period. At first I didn't think about it, because I had just weaned Brielle, and I figured my body just needed some time to "get back to normal".

Then one morning, I woke up and I felt off. Super off. And it hit me. "I am pregnant". But like before, I filed it away to focus on the move, plus we weren't "trying" and we had been careful. A couple days later I took one of the kids to the doctor and mentioned my late period to him. So he sent me in for the 2 kinds of pregnancy tests to rule that out. Both came out negative. I waited a couple more days and still no period. I felt like I should go in to get another blood test done, so that pregnancy could be ruled out for the reason my period was now almost 2 weeks late. I had the test done, and when they called for the results they told me "a blood level of 2 or lower is negative. Your level is 13. Doctor wants you to come in in 48 hours to have the test done again to see if it keeps rising." I was shocked. Totally shocked. And anxiously waited the 48 hours. Richard was certain I was pregnant since with both our kids we got pregnant in the month we stopped birth control, so he said it made sense to him that would happen again. He was busting at the seams with excitement!

At this point, I was frantically packing us for our move in a week while Richard finished finals. Quite a stressful interesting time to be dealing with this. But I was SO anxious to find out. I was afraid Richard was  getting his hopes up in vain, so the morning I had the 3rd blood test taken at the doctor, I broke down and bought a pregnancy test. I didn't want to wait the day it would take to get the blood test results back. As soon as we got home, I took the test and this is what I saw: 

The second line showed up right away and my suspicions were confirmed! I was so excited! Once I saw the second line, Liam and I (who watched me take the test) did an elaborate "yay-moms-having-another-baby" dance, right there in the bathroom! I realized Richard would be home soon so we quickly made this to put on the door for him to see when he got home from school:

Needless to say, he was so excited when he walked in and I explained the sign with my positive test.

The next morning, the doctors office called and said that my levels had gone up to 50 in 48 hours, which was way higher than they wanted (a 26 was what they were hoping for at least) and that I was definitely pregnant. I was so shocked for a couple weeks. I couldn't believe it, but so excited to be pregnant again. We were going to start trying a couple weeks later once we got settled in WA anyways, so our plan just came a couple weeks early :) (hence the "planned surprise")

The timing is perfect though and I am so glad we decided to stop the birth control when we did, even though it didn't make sense at the time. We will have a 5 month old when we move to medical school and we will be living right next to my parents the entire pregnancy and the first 5 months (aka the hardest time) with my mom almost next door. It's perfect.

This entire pregnancy has been perfect. My levels always doubled faster than they should, ultrasounds have been perfect (baby is measuring a day ahead), and we were able to hear the heartbeat via. doppler the last 2 appointments! Just like it's siblings, this baby is very very active (which the doctor confirmed when she tried to find the heartbeat via doppler and "sweetpea" kept dodging her and running away!) so I have already felt the baby move!!!! That's my favorite part of pregnancy! 

Probably because of the stress of moving, the exhaustion from the kids getting up more than normal at night as they have gotten settled in etc. I have felt more sick with this pregnancy. Almost constantly nauseous and tired. But, since I am pretty much in the second trimester, I have started to feel a little better recently. 

We are SO excited to have another little sweet pea coming to our house soon

And the fact that in march,

we will have 3 peas in our pod.

a year ago today, my life changed.

A year ago today, my life changed.

In amazing and wonderful ways that I didn't know were possible. My life was enhanced and my heart grew bigger than I thought it could. That all sounds sickeningly awfully cliche, but that is exactly how I feel. 

Last year I had no idea what to expect.

What it would be like to have 2 kids, especially as close as they were in age.

I went to the hospital at the scheduled time for my induction having light contractions. And 4 hours later, the most beautiful, precious baby girl was placed on my chest (the whole fun story is here). Instantly I was overcome by love for her sweet spirit. At that moment the fear of having 2 kids in 18 months and having to share my heart with 2 babies disappeared and I knew I was blessed beyond measure to be her mama.

Little did I know.

I had not a single clue.

I knew in that moment she was special. I could feel her wonderful spirit from the first moment and I had a glimpse. But there was no way to prepare me for the way I feel about that little princess now a year later. I had no clue how special she is. How wonderful she is. She truly is the sunshine in our lives. Liam, Richard and I, as well as every single person that meets her, are wrapped around her darling little pinky. She brings so much happiness to each of our lives in ways I never dreamed possible. 

And if you are gagging with cliche-ness, get over it I am sorry, but this is exactly how I feel.

She is perfect.

And I am not just saying that.

 She (usually) goes to bed without a fuss and sleeps all night. If she does wake up, she drinks some milk and is instantly back to sleep. She has been like this from the beginning. She is always content, plays quietly, smiles at everyone and everything, eats without fuss (usually), hardly ever cries, and brings joy and light into everyone's life. She will be super tired and hungry but will play happily and quietly. But luckily she does have some spitfire to her which I love. When she wants something bad, you know! And she will stand up for herself if need be (ex: toddler brother). She is a great combo of content and attitude.
Little did I know how blessed I am to be her mama. I cannot express this in words because I feel this so strongly. I could go on and on about how totally enamored I am with my little princess. I had a neat experience after I found out I was pregnant, where I knew that I would be greatly blessed by the little girl that was joining our family soon.

Once again, little did I know.

I am so glad that one year ago today, she joined our family.
That we have been blessed so greatly with her sweet, beautiful spirit, smile and personality.

I love love love her blonde, curly hair!

First pigtails!

Some things about her:
--She loves necklaces and playing with them. She will swing and carry them around for hours
--She loves bathtime. As soon as she hears the water running she comes walking over as fast as she can and whines until I put her in.
--She loves ice cream TONS
--She loves playing with baby dolls and any other toy
--She is totally walking and has been for a couple weeks
--She hates being alone
--She loves the camera and is a total ham
--She doesn't like to be confined because she wants to be always moving
--She walks around all day and says "tickle tickle" in the cutest voice mimicing what people say when they tickle her
--She can say "mom", "dad", "no", "hi", "food" (her version of it) and "tickle"
--She is super active and wiggly which makes holding her almost impossible. She is ALWAYS on the move.
--She hates having her face cleaned/wiped
--She loves her brother so much and lights up whenever she sees him.
--She loves to climb anything from stairs, the side of her crib (which LUCKILY hasn't ended with her out of her bed), anything
--She is constantly smiling and giggling at people
--She always has wispy hair sticking out next to her ears
--She loves falling asleep with her binky
--She does a SUPER SUPER high pitched squeak that sounds slightly different whether she is mad or happy. But it's the highest noise I have heard come out of a human.
--Shes good at leaving her hair bows in. Sometimes she will randomly remember it's on and try to pull it off, but as long as I hold her hands down for a couple minutes she forgets and leaves it alone.
--She wants to eat anything on the floor whether it's rocks, sand, sawdust, you name it.
--Her favorite baby food are sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, mangos and bananas. She also loves spaghetti, pizza, apples, rice etc.
--Her bedtime routine is: drink bottle while being rocked by mom in a dark room, binky in, lay on her tummy and she falls asleep
--She takes one 3 hour nap during the day and sometimes two 1 1/2 hour naps
--She doesn't sleep very well though if she is teething or sick...
--She is very dramatic and if she gets hurt you hear about it for a long time!
--She walks like a zombie with her hands up and straight out to the side. It's hilarious.
--She is the biggest charmer and makes everyone feels special.
--She is hands down the cutest girl. ever. (until a sister is born, and then she will share the title of cutest girl)

Happy 1st birthday Princess!!
We are so blessed to have you in our lives and adore you more than you will know.

The journey to our new life

Last week, we crammed packed our car, locked the door to our apartment/home for 4 years, and said good-bye to our life as a student at BYU-Idaho, resident of Rexburg, member of the BYU-I 2nd ward and resident of Madison Park.

Right before we left! Kids decided they wanted to drive ;) JK...

 And we went from here:

The last view of our apartment as we drove away...made me sad :(

 To this 3 (long) days later:

driving through Seattle to get to the ferry on the last leg of our long trip

Liam LOVED the ferry so much! Water + a huge boat was so fun for him!

 And now we are home.

Back to the incredible green, cold summers, surrounded by pristine water and beautiful sunny days of the northwest. 

Always around family where the kids are in heaven.

yes. this is home. so incredibly beautiful.

 Note to self: Brielle LOVED ice cream sandwich's and would scream if she wasn't eating one :)

And in the name of record keeping,
This is always what happens with Liam near water...

His process of nakedness.

First totally clothed next to the water.

 Then finally in the water, still fully clothed.

 Then the pants fall off because they are so wet.

 Then they come off.

 And at last: the shirt comes off. 

The process of nakedness is complete.
My kid loves water so much and he is always in it and if I am not careful, the clothes always come off.
That process always happens when he's next to water. He can't stay out.

It was really stressful busy getting totally settled
(moving 2 kids to a new state is a lot of work)
But we are pretty much finished which is so nice.

So we are here.
Our journey to our new life is finished.
A new chapter has started.