Our Walk

While my mom has been here, she has taken the girls on several walks.

On one of these walks, she discovered the little neighborhood that's behind our backyard.

However, this little neighborhood is quite secluded, and it sits back of the main road.

So on my parents last day here, my mom took us all on a walk.

 

Halle gets tired pretty quickly, so my mom has to pull her along.

 

There is a little stream that runs through the neighborhood.

I took this picture because the stream ran in front of a house,

and I was just fascinated that a yard could look like this.

 

 Even though I've lived here for a year and a half, I'm still struck with how big the trees are!

And it's crazy that these trees grow in the middle of neighborhoods!

 

 One of the streets we went on had a little pond.

I just loved how some people had parked this boat.

It was so quiet and peaceful tucked away from everything...

 

 

 

And of course, I couldn't help but snap some photos of my favorite gals riding their bikes.

I love this picture of Halle because it reminds me of what a happy girl she is.

She finds pure joy in pretty much anything.

I just love her!

 

Ava is getting pretty darn good at riding her bike.

She loves to zoom ahead of us on our walks, and she is very careful to stay on the side of the road since there aren't sidewalks here.

 

 

To me, this picture says a thousand words.

As I was taking a picture of Ava, Halle came running up, which is usually what happens.

Halle is always on the run, and is a busy, busy girl.

 

AFter our walk, Halle came home and put on her hat.

Go figure!

12.21.12

12.21.12

 

That's the day Colbie turned 1 month old.

Words simply cannot express how much we love having this little bundle of joy around.

 

 

She gets oodles of kisses and hugs every single day.

 

 

She is turning into quite the chunker.

She has officially outgrown all newborn clothes....

which is something Halle didn't do until she was about 3 1/2 months old!

She weighs about 10 lbs (I'm guessing) and has grown about an inch or so.

She is getting some lovely little rolls around her thighs, which I just adore.

 

 

Colbie loves to sit up and look around.

She has the most curious eyes and is constantly soaking up her surroundings.

 

 

This month, Colbie shed her first layer of skin... it reminded me of a snake. :)

Then she has had a case of baby acne. :(

And we've been battling a round of thrush. (Ouch).

 

 

But despite scaly skin, acne, and some rough feeding sessions,

Colbie is the best darn baby that ever lived on the earth.

Seriously.

 

 

Except for when she puts her hand up in protest because I take waaaay too many pictures of her.

21 Days

 

Little Miss C has been in our lives for 21 days now. Those 3 weeks have gone faster than I have wanted them to. She is growing and getting bigger everyday, and I'm not really liking it, to be honest with you. I just want to keep her a little snuggly baby and mug on her as much as possible.

 

 

At her 2 week appointment, Colbie weighed in at 8 lbs. 8 oz (51%) and measured 21.5 inches (85%). Since she had dropped down to 6 lbs 13 oz, I was impressed with how much weight she's gained.... almost 2 lbs in 2 weeks!

 

 

Colbie is such a joy to have around... we all just want to hug her and kiss her and smell her... she is definitely getting lots of lovin' around here... but who can blame us?

 

I was talking to Nate the other day about how much we've changed as parents over the past 5 years. With Ava, I was constantly stressed about what all the books said, and if I was doing everything I was supposed to.... and I was always anticipating the next stage. When she was crawling, I looked forward to when she was walking... and I feel like I missed out on just letting her be a baby.

 

Then Halle came along, and turned our world upside down. I struggled adjusting to 2 kids... partly because it took me a long time to recover, and partly because balancing time between kids is a lot different than just soley focusing on one kid. Ava was at a difficult age, and between working and school and life, I was just frazzled 110% of the time.

 

 

Now that Colbie is here, I feel like I am more mature as a parent. Things that would have stressed me out with Ava no longer stress me out. For instance, I have a load of laundry that needs to folded, bathrooms that haven't been cleaned, my children were in their pajamas (and didn't have their hair combed) until 3:30 this afternoon, and that's only because our neighbor asked if they could go over to his house and play, and my hair has been pulled into a ponytail for the 4th straight day...

but I don't really care. Why? Because today I cuddled with Colbie in my bed after her morning feeding, and then Ava came in and we just chit chatted. I did more cuddling with Colbie while listening to Ava and Halle play Barbies in their room... and then I watched them play "Pouty Lip" on the couch. (Pouty Lip is a game they made up where they basically stand on the arms of the couch and jump onto the cushions while screaming "Pouty Lip!".... and I don't even care that they are jumping on the couch that way. Why? Because it's not the couch we are going to have forever, and because they are giggling and not fighting and because they aren't watching TV.) We also made snowmen out of milk jugs and sorted through their scissors, markers, and crayons...

 

I have cleared our schedule of everything so that we can have these days to just do whatever we want to. Ava isn't in preschool, and I haven't enrolled the girls in any classes because I just want to enjoy this time in our lives before life gets crazy when Ava goes to school next year. I want to be able to wake up when we want to and to lounge around if we want to, or we can go to the library, or to Target, or wherever. Basically, I just want to be free and enjoy time with my kids. We come and go as we please, and I think that's helped me to enjoy Miss Colbie and has made the transition to 3 kids a lot easier.

 

Another thing that has been less stressful is nursing Colbie. With my other 2 girls, I was working, and so I was constantly on a feeding schedule. I had to nurse them right before work, and then worry about pumping, and then nurse her on my lunch break, worry about pumping again, and then nurse her right after work... and when we went out into public I was always worried about what other people would say, so I would go nurse in a bathroom or in my car....

and guess what?

I don't care what people think anymore. Partly because it's against the law up here to say anything to a nursing mother, and partly because everyone nurses in public. Some even nurse without covering themselves. So, if I have to nurse when I'm out and about, I just do it. And it has made a world of difference. I am actually enjoying nursing... somewhat. :)

 

 

Time is such a precious thing. Each moment that passes is another moment closer to the time that my girls will be going out into the wprld and I will no longer be their main influence... and that's a scary thought for me. Our three little girlies are gifts from God, and He has entrusted Nate and I to teach them right from wrong, and to teach them the gospel... and all I want is for them to realize just how precious they are to Nate and I and to our Heavenly Father.

Friday Photo Dump!!

Here are some pics taken this week. I love looking at pictures and seeing my life in little snippets. :) I feel like pictures reflect what's going on in lives....

 

We have spent many days at McDonald's. They have awesome playlands, and their kids meals come with awesome toys. It's the perfect place for me to go on rainy days with my kids and when I don't feel like cooking. :)

 

Colbie loves her binky! This pic cracks me up because it looks like she is protecting her binky from being taken out. 

 

Bath time! I just love the look on her sweet face!

This was taken before church one Sunday. Both the girls wanted to wear their high heels (yes, both of them have high heels!!!) and they had fancy hair!

Tee hee hee.... I love it when Ava wears this hat. I love the way it smooshes down her little face. 

Here's a panoramic view of our kitchen and living room. Do you like our little tree? Nate and I bought it the first year we were married at Big Lots for $20. :) Gotta love those poor college days...

nothing has changed ! :)

Merry Christmas!!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Miss Colbie Anne

For one of my baby shower presents, a friend of mine gave me a pen and a notebook... It has been such a fantastic gift! I took them to the hospital and was able to jot down thoughts and feelings that I had. I wrote about Colbie's birth and just what an amazing experience it was about 6 hours after she was born. I just wanted to share that little entry here...


November 21, 2012
I just had a baby 6 1/2 hours ago. Little Miss Colbie Anne Cash was born at 1:37 p.m. and weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and she is 20 3/4 inches tall.
This whole pregnancy has been busy.... Dr. appointments every 2 weeks, ultra sounds galore, weekly shots... and it all came together today.
I went in yesterday for my 39 week appointment. My doctor and I discussed being induced this week because my mom was flying in today, and I didn't really want to be pregnant while she is here. My doctor checked me, and I was at a 4, and she told me she thinks the baby is about 7 lbs. I thought she was nuts!!! My doctor told me there was an opening to be induced for 7:30 a.m. this morning. I took it. After my appointment, I went home, finished my laundry, swept the floors, did the dishes, and took out the garbages. I can't tell you how nice it was to be able to finish up all the little things! I woke up about 4 a.m. this morning, and just couldn't sleep. I had to call the hospital at 5:30 a.m. to make sure they had room for me, and sure enough, they did! Sweet!
I showered, and got ready, woke Ava up around 6:30, and we had breakfast together. We got everything ready and took the girls to my neighbor's house. Nate and I arrived at the hospital around 7:45 a.m. We checked in, got our room (#320), and got settled in.

 

 

I was given Pitocin around 9:30 a.m. and got the ball rolling. Dr. K cam in around 11:30ish and broke my water. It was her day off, but she came in just to deliver my baby. At my appointment yesterday, she told me I couldn't go into labor that night because she had a concert, and she had a hair appointment at 9 a.m. but she would be in after her hair was done. :) After she broke my water, she had to do some Thanksgiving grocery shopping, but she'd be close by. Meanwhile, my neighbor drove to the airport and picked up my mom for me. My mom arrived around noon, just as the contractions were starting to get a little intense. At 12:30, the contractions got super intense, and I asked for an epidural. I really wanted to go natural, but when Dr. K broke my water, I was only at a 5, and I didn't know how much longer it would be before I was fully dilated. The epidural guy showed up around 1:10 and gave me the epidural. His name was Nate and he grew up in Sugar House and went to Highland High (where my dad grew up and went to high school) so it was fun to talk to him in between contractions.
After my epi was in (about 1:20), I told my nurse I could still feel everything on my left side. My right side was totally numb, but the left side was a different story!! It was such a weird feeling having an invisible line drawn down my body, and being totally numb on one side, and feeling the most intense pain ever on the other.... sheesh! My nurse (Nora) had me turn on my left side to try and get the epi to work on my left side by letting gravity work it's magic, but as soon as I turned, I had to push. The pressure to push was so intense, I didn't know if I could hold her in! They called Dr. K (who was eating lunch in the cafeteria) and she came up and checked me... sure enough, I was at a 10, and she gowned up while the nurses got everything ready. I started pushing around 1:30ish, and I am so glad my mom and Nate were there to remind me to breath. It was so hard to breath, and all I wanted to do was get Colbie out of me! My mouth became extremely dry, and my lips felt like they were on fire! Half way through pushing, I asked for my chapstick, and that helped me to calm down a little bit. :) I pushed really well about 3 or 4 times, and then the doc told me to just hold on for a second, but I told her no... I'm just gonna push and get this baby out! Plus, I could feel half of everything, and it felt like I was on fire!!! But after the really big pushes, they had me do a few short pushes, and Colbie arrived at 1:37!

 

I was able to hold her immediately after while Nate cut the cord, and the doc stitched me up (I only had a 1st degree tear... not too bad). I was just able to hold her for a long time. They weren't in a hurry to clean her up or weigh her.... It was so nice to just have those moments together and really let everything soak in. I tried nursing her, and she nurses like a champ. She nursed for about 45 minutes, and then I had to break her off so they could weigh her and what not.

 

Colbie is so sweet and mellow. I fed her twice at night (@ 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.) and she didn't even fuss. She loves to have her hands by her face, but that doesn't come as a surprise because that's how she was inside me. Every ultrasound picture shows her little arm up by her cheeks. She also loves her binkie! She has the cutest little bum! Because Ava and Halle were so tiny, they didn't have a bum crack... it was more like a little hole, so I think it's cute that Colbie has a little more meat on her.

I know Heavenly Father had His hand in the timing of Colbie's delivery. It was such a blessing to have Dr. K there and to have my mom there. This has definitely been the best recovery and the labor wasn't too bad. :) I feel awesome, and Nate was even able to spend the night! Nate was able to take today off, and since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, he has that off too... but he also has Friday off because of the holiday, and he took Monday off as well. This is the longest he has ever been off, and I know it's one of the tender mercies of the Lord.

 

     I was discharged from the hospital around 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving. They had to wait til Colbie was at least 24 hrs old and had to run some tests, and then we were both given a clean bill of health to go home! Hooray for short hospital stays! Her bilirubin levels have been super low, so she didn't need to be under the lights, like Ava and Halle were. :)

 

     I have been blessed to have a healthy pregnancy this time around. However, I was classifed as mild pre-eclamptic. My blood pressure was a little higher than it should be, and I had some swelling and was starting to spill protein into my urine, so I really think it was great timing that I was induced. I am so thankful to my loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me so much.

     Since being home, things have gone so smoothly. My recovery has been awesome. Colbie eats like a champ, and sleeps like a champ too! She eats around 8 p.m. and then around 10 p.m. and sleeps til about 3 a.m. She eats, and goes right back to sleep and wakes up around 7:30 a.m. to eat again. The awesome thing is she doesn't cry, I just wake up to her grunting and stirring...
     Honestly, I never realized how hard Halle was until I've been able to breeze through my recovery with Colbie. I'm sure it has helped that my mom takes care of my other two girls, and I have been able to soley focus on what Colbie needs. Ava and Halle have adjusted extremely well to having their new little sister. They are such amazing helpers, and just give her lots of loves and kisses.

I just love my little family and am so grateful to have three wonderful daughters and the most fabulous husband. I can't even imagine how different my life would be without them!