Quick Update & November 2016

I can't believe that it has already been 5 months since the last time I wrote.  Life keeps going and things keep changing.  At the beginning of December, I was asked to take over as church librarian, which took quite a bit of my time at the beginning.  I am really enjoying it, although I do think that is probably why I haven't found time for blogging in that time.  However, I am determined to start blogging again as I really like keeping track of our family activities.

The biggest highlight of our family right now is that Kyle started a new job this past week as Controller of a local hospital/therapy center.  It is only about 30 minutes away, with no freeways, so the time shouldn't change much from day to day.  His previous job in Orange was taking about 1:15 each way, so this will be a huge improvement for him.  In addition, this role of Controller is something he looks forward to and overall we hope it will be a good change for our family in many ways.

We are also house hunting right now.  We are looking for something close to where we are, but maybe a little bigger and there are a couple of things we want different (such as no power lines hanging over our house).

I don't like leaving gaps in the blog, so my plan is to due monthly posts until I get caught up and then go to every-other week for posting family updates and pictures.  I was looking at my last post and I can't believe how much the kids have changed already since then.  Hopefully I will be able to remember why I took the pictures. 😊

Kyle has been working with Brooklyn for a while to bike without training wheels.  She is doing well, it is more a matter of not getting out often enough for her to build on her skills.  She still needs to learn to stop (in April), but her are some pictures of one of her first times trying it out.

Pretending to take the training wheels off by herself.

The big girls had a fundraiser at school in November where they had to run and see how many laps they could do.  Katelyn ended up with 11 laps and I think Brooklyn was maybe 1 lap less in the 30 minutes that they ran.  Madison, Kyle & I were able to go watch them.

Brooklyn is in the center behind two boys waving as they wait to start.

An excited Katelyn.

Brooklyn running with Auntie Lisa (aka the music teacher)

Madison also ran with Auntie Lisa.

We went to visit my cousin who lives on a dairy during the week of Thanksgiving when there was no school.

Brooke & Madison on my grandparents old swing-set I used as a kid.

Madison looking at the cows.

And here are a few random photos from the month.

Date with Mom & Katelyn.  We went and spent some of her birthday $, including a trip to In'n'out.

Brooklyn & Cousin Micah climbing on my Uncle Kenny when he was visiting from Michigan.

Katelyn & Kyle working on a puzzle.  Photo Credit: Brooklyn

Photo Credit: Brooklyn  (need I say more?)

My heart is so full.

Welcome Madison Renae!

On May 29, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Madison Renae into the world!  She was born at 6:05PM  and weighed 8lb. 11oz. (much bigger than we expected) and measured 19.5 inches long.

God has blessed us once again!

 

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Ok, so that was the short version.  Here is the longer version :-). 

We thought our little girl would come early, just like her two big sisters had.  So, it was a shock when I went into labor at 6 AM on Thursday morning, the 29th, on her due date and a full 2 weeks after I was ready for/expecting her.  I had put off making plans for Brooklyn's 3rd birthday (the 29th of May) because I kept thinking the baby would be coming and I wasn't sure what I would be up for.  In the weeks prior, I had thought at least 2 times that I was having regular contractions, and then they would stop after an hour.  I hadn't done anything for over a week because I didn't want to make plans I couldn't keep, etc.  But on Wednesday, I was feeling fine and decided we would meet my mom and sister and nephew at a local children's museum for the morning, followed by Chik-fil-a for lunch (a favorite of our girls because of the play place) and then quick cake and presents at our house before nap time.  Kyle had the day off and it sounded like a fun, low-key birthday.  Oh, how God laughs when we make plans. 

I woke up at 6 and felt a few contractions close together.  They weren't too painful, but within 10 minutes apart, at which point the doctor had told me a week earlier that I needed to go into the hospital.  The doctor had actually told me the previous week that she thought I would go into labor over the weekend and she would be very surprised if I made it to my due date.  I guess we are just full of surprises!  So, after about 45 mins. of pretty regular, getting stronger contractions, we called my mom to have her come over to be with the girls.  I was really bummed I wouldn't be able to spend Brooke's birthday with her, so we opened presents and sang happy birthday to her before we left.  We got a few pictures of her throughout the day decorating a cake and opening presents at Grandpa & Grandma's house. 

Happy 3rd Birthday Brooklyn!

Big Sis always has to help out with gift opening.

Last pic as a family of 4.  So bummed this one turned out blurry.

Heading out to the hospital.

A picture Auntie took of the big birthday girl.

We got to the hospital around 8AM and my contractions in the morning were not too bad, but I could tell it was the beginning of true labor.  Our older two girls had very quick endings to the labor, so I didn't want to go home, even though we thought it might be a while before the baby arrived.  Around 12 or 1, the contractions finally started getting stronger and continued to progress until she arrived just after 6PM!  I did end up getting an epidural about 10-20 minutes before she was born (my sense of timing was not the best at the time), which ended up being a huge blessing in disguise because of a minor complication due to the sub-chorionic hemorrhage earlier in the pregnancy.  The doctor and nurses commented several times before she was weighed on how big a baby she was, but we had been warned in an ultrasound a few weeks earlier that she had a big belly.

Madison's first pic



She was covered in the white stuff.

On the scale.

Proud Daddy

 Shortly after she was born, we had our first visitors.  We had especially wanted the girls to meet their new sister that night yet and I wanted to see how Brooklyn's birthday had gone.  It was a little bit of a rushed visit and it was only about 1.5 hours after Madison arrived, but it was great to see the girls.

First photo as a family of 5!

Getting Acquainted!

The birthday girls and daddy.

Daddy and his 3 girlies

Grandpa & Grandma & the 3 grandaughters

Auntie Laurie

B & her 'mankie.'  Can't go anywhere without it (at least not late in the evening).



Laura had bought the girls shirts for when they came to visit the hospital.  She also got Madison one the same color.

Later that night, they gave Madison her first bath.

She wasn't a big fan.

Due to some issues that Madison had with spitting up and that she wasn't born until 6PM, they decided to have us spend an extra night (total of 2 nights) in the hospital.

Kyle had an interview scheduled for the day that Madison was born, but canceled it when we went to the hospital.  He ended up going the next day and my mom came to sit in the hospital with Madison and I while he was gone for several hours.  As it turns out, he was hired for the job!  But at the risk of making this post any longer, I will have to share about that another time.  After he returned from his interview, the girls came to visit again.  My grandma came also.

We had friends from church who had a due date the day after ours and ended up having their baby the same day as us and ended up being in the room next to ours.  We took pictures of the girls the 2nd night.

Madison & Summer.  Both born 5-29-14.

On Saturday morning, we headed home.

So there you have it, the short and long versions.  Today Miss Madison is 3 months old already.