Sunday, July 20, 2008

New Aquatic Center

We visited the new pool for the second time tonight. The kids love it so much. Its a little hard to keep track of 3 kids with so much to do there - it definetly requires both Jordan and I to be there. Lauren starts swim lessons next week so we'll be there everyday for 2 weeks - the kids are thrilled!!!

The kids slide. There are also 2 BIG slides, 2 diving board and 'lily pads'.


The splash pad area.









Saturday, July 19, 2008

I'm supposed to be good with words...

Why is it that when we need to be understood the most, we have the most trouble coming up with the right things to say?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Bedtime prayers...

Tonight the girls prayers included:
Lauren: asking Jesus to keep her baby sister healthy and that she would smile and laugh at her someday soon.

Avery: thanking Jesus for her birthday presents and that her 'friends' played with her at her party - well just for a little bit anyway. prayer #2 was for Lauren's back to stop hurting (Lauren has had a back ache all day - I seriously blame the Wii!)

Prayer time is my favorite time of day. I love getting to see what is on their hearts as they talk to Jesus. Lauren NEVER forgets to mention my dad and to tell Jesus that she is anxious to see him and Jesus someday in heaven. It brings tears to my eyes every night. Avery's prayers are often comical but always sweet and heart felt. Tonight when she was finished she said, Oh mommy! I forgot to ask Jesus to make Lauren's back better!" So she got to pray again.

I told them that I would be praying for Lauren's back when I went to bed too. Lauren said, you pray for me when I'm not with you?! Adorable. I love how they care for each other and how they are learning to talk to Jesus about their wants, needs and joys.

Update on Tess

She has added a new trick to her list...she can roll from her belly to her back - at will.

Avery did this at 2 weeks old too...and then proceeded to crawl at 3.5 months.

Its not looking good for me!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Its not the same

Avery is spending the night at Grandma Barb's house tonight. We went to the park without her and it is just not the same! I miss her. She's been gone 4 hours and I miss her!

Some of her quotes from today:
1. We were at my mom's earlier today and my mom told her she was excited for her to come back and spend the night. Avery looked at her and said, "Well Grandma, are you going to change your shirt?"
We didnt know what she was talking about...
Avery said, "Well I want you to wear that pink shirt with the pretty things on it."
We laughed and laughed. She is so particular about what people wear and she always wants me and the grandma's to be dressed pretty. So funny.

2. A woman ran past our house when we were outside today and Avery asked what she was doing. I told her that she was running so she could exercise. Avery thought about this and then said, "Well is she late for something?"

So funny! I guess she knows her mother would only run if she were late!

Have fun tonight Avery!!!!

Two Weeks Old

Tess was two weeks old yesterday. Lauren had a birthday party for her. It was VERY sweet!

This one...

needs to stop growing up.



Maximus

I'm changing Sullivan's name to Maximus.

I'm doing this because he has only one volume level and it is MAXIMUM.

Is this a boy thing or what? He is so LOUD!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Heaven help us...

Tonight Avery walked past a full legnth mirror, stopped in her tracks and gasped, "Mommy! I didn't know I looked so beautiful!!!"

I'm torn between wanting her to always find herself beautiful and wanting to find a remote that will somehow allow me to skip the teen years with this child!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Its been pretty rough around here...

Tess doesn't seem to be sick of being held yet. And we really aren't ever going to be sick of holding her!







Felix pics


Tess was all decked out for fun, but she spent the entire time in her carseat - poor thing! :)


Sully in the jump pit. He loved it! They all did. I didn't get a chance for too many pictures - it turns out that trying to keep track of 4 kids at the courthouse square is a lot of work!



Parade pictures...

Just ick...for no reason

I have trouble on Sunday nights. I hate knowing that Jordan is going back to work on Monday. Part of it is selfishness, not wanting to handle all this on my own - its overwhelming, the other part is just that I'd rather be with him than not. I always feel a little bummed on Sundays.

It is pretty unwarranted; we had a great weekend. It was Felix Days so that meant parades, carnival games and rides, tons of time outside and happy, tired kids. We got to see Aunt Trina inducted into our town's sports hall of fame and spend time with cousins. Fun for all! :)

I'm going to try and get pictures posted soon from the weekend.

We are also excited because our town's new aquatic center is set to open this week! It looks beautiful and fun and very refreshing for a hot summer day. The kids can hardly stand it now that the water is in - they want to jump in!
Now if only I had a swimming suit that fit! Not quite sure what to do about that at this point.

Anyway, good night!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

So sleepy


This is Tess tonight after her bath. There is nothing sweeter than a baby after a bath. She couldnt keep her eyes open but was really trying!

Things are going well around here. Tess seems to be adjusting to us well. She's started having one bottle a day and she's getting the hang of it. I like knowing that if I need to be away from her sometime, I can be. She continues to nap well during the day which really helps me spend time with the 'big' kids. And she does fairly well at night too...I dont feel exhausted so I'd say she's doing well.

Jordan came home tonight about 8:30 and told me to get out of the house for awhile. Well given we live in a town of 2,500 I didnt have many options, I ended up at the grocery store! Exciting!
I came home to Jordan feeding Tess a bottle and giving Lauren and Avery a geography/history lesson with our big light up globe and his book on famous landmarks of the world. The girls absolutelly LOVED it.

Jordan just told Avery that Benjamin Franklin was one of his favorite people in history and Avery wanted to know when he met him. Well Avery, Daddy's not that old!

Off to bed.

So little


She seems so very tiny. Seriously, she is too small for this car seat!

(Yes, I know I need to get one of those neck support things - I have one but cant locate it. Until then I just use a blanket)

Big Brother Sullivan





He really loves his little sister. He has been very sweet with her and not shown any jealousy - yet anyway.
He likes to hold her but only as long as she is quiet...if she cries, he's done.

I took her to meet the kids at our babysitter's house yesterday and Sullivan would not allow anyone to touch her. He yelled at them and said, MY BABY! It was VERY sweet.

Laundry

She weighs 7 lbs and doesnt move...how has she quadrulped my laundry?

Seriously!

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Impossible to Please

That is me.

I am actually worried because Contessa is TOO GOOD. Seriously.

My other kids were not this content. None of them. My other kids did not lay on a blanket and stare around the room for 30 minutes at a time and not make a peep. My other kids did not sleep this much. They didn't nap like this.

So of course I think there is something wrong.

Oh my heart...



Big sister and brother


As long as Sully knows where Tess is, he doesnt pay much attention to her. But he likes to stop by now and then and give her a kiss.


Seriously, she is only 6. But she loves this baby with all her heart and doesnt want to be away from her for one minute. She even did her 'make-up' next to her the other day.

Make-up


Avery got some new make-up and a crown. Wow!

Monday, July 07, 2008

My Turn

Ok, a week later and I am taking my turn at the play by play. After reading Jordan's I am wondering if he really has a twin. One that sat next to me and held my hand and kissed my forehead during it all and one that blogged! Weird!

Anyway, My take on the event might be different. We'll see. Dr. Hintz came in to my room about 8:15 and asked if I wanted to go home? I told him to get going! I was so excited. After the exam and the administering of the 'goo' as Jordan called it, he asked the question again. This time I said I thought I may have actually changed my mind and be ready to go back home. The baby could just stay in me! And Jordan and the nurse and Dr. thought I accidently gave the Dr. the finger...it wasn't on accident! His dry sense of humor was a little too much for me at that moment!

The contractions started immedietly when he stood up. And they were hard and one was very long - Id have to say 10 minutes. The nurse and Dr. stayed right by my side staring at the screens until that ended. Tess handled that very well so they let me be. I took a bath which helped and then by the time I got out we were really into heavy labor. The nurse said she could check me and I'd probably be able to get my epidural. I said How!? Ive only been here like an hour! She said that's the way it goes with the 'goo'. So I said sure, an epidural would be really really great right now. So she checked me and said I was ready for it. She left to call the anesthesiologist and then I started really hurting. I actually threw up. Ive never done that in labor before. And contractions and vomiting are not a fun combo!

So then I got my epidural, from the 20 year old anesthesiologist (he was really in his 30's but looked like a baby). I was then happy. At about 12 I told Jordan I was going to take a nap. Aparently he was blogging! Then suddenly I said forget it, Jordan's its time. The baby is here! He ripped back my covers to make sure there was no baby laying on the bed like there had been with Sullivan. I told him to hit the call button for the nurse. Well he couldnt find it so I think I beat on it about 12 times. She arrived and I said, its time! She freaked out because she was afraid Id have a repeat Sullivan experience as well.

The Dr. came in and I pushed twice and there was Tess.

With Lauren's birth I had a terrible time and had surgery immedietly after , I literally have practically no memory of it and I am told that I am lucky for that. With Avery and Sully they came so fast that I didn't even really know it was happening till it was over. But with Tess, I knew it was happening, I had to push and I had the perfect amount of pain medicine. I focused my attention on Jordan. His eyes went from horror, to disgust to awe and back and forth. After 4 times of this, he cried like a baby himself and was the perfect coach.

I was excited/scared to have the kids come visit. When Avery and Lauren came to visit after I had Sully I bawled when they left - how could I do it?!?!?! But this went much smoother. Lauren and Avery are just so excited and so ready to be big sisters and mommy's helpers. Lauren just wanted to hold Tess and stare at her face. Avery wanted to see my stomach, see any owies present and then investigate the baby's belly, eyes, and watch the diaper changes. She wanted to check out all the buttons and gadgets around me and was loving the whole experience!

Sully, no longer my baby, crawled up on the bed with me and said, I hold her? But after about 25 seconds he'd had enough. He was more interested in running around - same old Sully! He seems SO huge now. His little hands aren't as little, his skinny body doenst feel as light. It makes me really sad. There are fewer things in live I love more than a 2 year old...even the naughty ones! I want him to stay little!

Tess seems to be adjusting to all the chaos in our house well. I think she is used to the noise from what she heard in the womb. I think she actually sleeps better in the noise than in silence!

I feel so blessed to have 4 healthy children. Time can now stop for awhile so we can just sit back and enjoy them!

A little help from my friends

We have a problem. We need to have 2 monitors in our room. One for the girls bedroom on the main level and one in Tess's room. (Sully's room is close enough that we can hear him while we sleep.)
However, we cant have two running at the same time because they interfere with each other.
I've looked for a monitor that comes with two intercoms but I can only find ones with 2 receivers...not what we need.
Oh, and I'd love for the one that goes down stairs to be a video monitor...but it doenst have to be.

Any suggestions? Ever seen something like this? Or anyone know of a solution to the interference? We tried putting them on different channels, etc.

Thanks!

Sunday, July 06, 2008

More family for Tess


Uncle Joe


Aunt Kylie


Uncle Robert


Papa Dennis

American Boy

Sully's latest thing is to sing and perform for us. We had a 4th of July get together at my mom's on Friday and Sullivan grabbed my grandma's cane (his microphone) and headed for the front porch. I followed him and watched him crawl up on a coffee table and start singing like crazy. I was doubled over laughing it was so hilarious. I never want to forget it!





American Girls

Saturday, July 05, 2008

The Amazing Princess Contessa

She might be only four days old but she has many talents...

1. She can cover her eyes up when it is just too bright.


2. She can hold her head up for very long periods of time.


3. She can choose to only open one eye at a time - opening two can be a little too much effort.


4. She can grab her sister's finger and make her sister feel like a million bucks!


5. She can snuggle like there's no tomorrow!

Another reason

This man loves loves loves little babies. While in the hospital after having a baby I have yet to change a diaper or really do anything that involves getting out of bed. He is the best.


Thursday, July 03, 2008

tomorrow

I know I promised pictures but its gonna have to wait until tomorrow, I'm suddenly having a lot of trouble keeping my eyes open.
Just let me tell you there is a lot of cuteness around here. You'll just have to take my word for it until later!

Good night!

And we're home

All I can say right now is the kids are EXCITED! We may have needed to have brought home at least 2 babies. Avery and Lauren are in a constant battle over whose turn it is to hold her.
Avery loves to check out the belly button and inspect every inch of Tess. Lauren just wants to sit and stare at her face. Sully likes her in very small doses and then runs back to play cars - which I think is probably a good thing right now!

Jordan has discovered that he can Wii bowl a 192 while holding a sleeping baby.

This is our life! ;)


I promise pictures later!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I'm here...

Never fear, I am here.
I'm not going to apologize...we are taking total advantage of our time in the hospital. The nurses seem to love waiting on us. They have told us that they do anyway. We've been blessed with wonderful nurses.
We had far fewer visitors today and tonight. We've spent our time fighting over Tess, napping and laying around. Its been great.
We'll be heading back to reality tomorrow. I'm excited to take her home and get into the groove with the kids. And I'm very excited to sleep in my own bed - on my stomach! Cant wait.
Tess is doing wonderfully. She is amazingly strong. I cannot believe how well she can hold her tiny little head up. She is scaring me by how much she acts like Avery. But we have decided she might actually look more like Lauren. We need to get out some baby pictures. Seriously, none of my kids can look like me? She is nursing like a champ and sleeping pretty well too. Lets hope this all lasts!
So far it seems that opening one eye at a time is enough for her. Opening two would be just too much effort!
Tess's doctor saw her this morning and called her 'perfect'. We will all be discharged in the morning.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The kids holding their new sister



Grandma Barb and Contessa

Grandma Cindy with Contessa

Flattering

We are the talk of OB Unit, they don't believe that we could possibly have four children yet. That's just the kind of flattery that Becky needs!

We are actually feeling pretty old. The anesthesiologist looked no older than 26 years old(he was in his 30's) and one of the interns that was in for the delivery seemed 19 and now our two nurses tonight are 23 years old! Probably not, but they do look young.

Contessa Caroline Dirks

Pictures





Here she is!

It's a girl!

Contessa Dirks(middle name still to be determined)
7 lbs 1 ounce
21 inches long
Born at 12:31 p.m.

Baby Time

I was wrong! Baby is coming, it's time!

Nap time

Becky is trying to take a nap at this point and I've ordered lunch. I thought this would be much quicker than this based on how the morning started out. I'll keep updating when I know more. I'm considering this a rain delay, hopefully after a bite to eat things get a bit more exciting again.

Dr. Hintz prediction

I asked Dr. Hintz what his prediction would be for the time the baby would be born. His response: "today." He is hilarious. Becky is wearing a thing on her middle finger that measures her pulse - as Dr. Hintz said his "today" joke Becky went to scratch her head with her pulse thingy and it looked like she was giving him the finger. We all had a nice laugh about that.

No progress

The doctor just checked Becky, and she's not dilated any more than she was the last time. This baby isn't coming before noon. I'm thinking my 2:00 p.m. prediction may not hold. Sarah, our nurse, is supposed to get off by 3:00 p.m. so we are hoping that she's able to see the baby born.

For all of you that know the numbers game when it comes to dilating and thinness, here it is: she started at 50 and 2, and the last two times she has been checked she has been at 80 and 4.

Bring on the pitocin!(Just kidding, there's no way they are going to give her that yet).

Entertainment

Melanie - I'm glad that we can be so entertaining to you! Are you liking the play by play? Becky's now watching Teen Wolf and not feeling a single contraction. The epidural is working nicely.

Water Breakage

Becky's water broke, but she's not dilating as quickly as we expected. Maybe the baby won't be here by noon.

This is funny - not long ago it was crisis stage with painful contractions. Now, Becky asks me, "do you want to turn the T.V. on?" She's feeling much better at this point.

Epidural

Becky is loving the an anesthesiologist at this point. She just got her epidural and it is a night and day difference. I'm looking at the screen seeing three high peaks showing that there were back to back to back contractions and she hardly flinched. Amazing.

In the beginning



Here is Becky at 8:00 a.m. She's not so chipper anymore!

Back in bed

She took a scalding hot bath and now she's back in bed. When she was asked to rate her pain she rated her headache at a seven and her contractions at a six. That must be a bad headache, because I can see what she looks like through each contraction!

No walking the halls yet. Will be back soon.

Not feeling well

Becky started off this morning with a headache, and it's not going away. Now,the contractions have started hot and heavy, and her body isn't reacting well to the jump start goo. She just had to use the puke pail - something I've never seen with our other kids but she tells me is very normal. The nurse is predicting a noon baby!

Off to a rough start, but all seems to be going fine.

In Labor

Okay, this went from having fun talking about having a baby to "OH MY, she's in labor" too fast. I don't think she will let me get too descriptive, but the doctor came in with this goo and whatever that is it has gotten the process started. She had one super long contraction that the nurse and doctor paid close attention to. After that was over Dr. Hintz said "good luck" and headed out the door. I'll be back to update soon.

Dr. Hintz

The doctor popped his head in the door just now, man that guy is a character. Luckily, his dry humor will annoy Becky more than I'm annoying her.

At the Hospital

(This post is from Jordan)

We made it to the hospital! Becky is in her gown, laying in bed, and is getting drilled with questions from the nurse right now. Becky's one and only request for me today is to not annoy her. I'm failing miserably so far - and it's quite fun! She really might kill me so I better cut it out. Our nurse's name is Sarah(unfortunately not Sara Joslin).

In 20 minutes they are planning to induce her, I'll give you an update soon.

Becky and Jordan