a blur of a month

Has it really been six weeks since Elise was born?... Crazy. It's been a blur of sleep deprivation and breast feeding. Despite feeling like I am incapable of accomplishing the smallest task, we are loving our wee one.

Although, nothing too exciting has happened around here aside from the poopy diapers and endless feedings, I have dug deep to come up with enough for my 'list of 5':

1. Halloween came in the knick of time to offer some excitement for my poor boys. We managed to carve pumpkins (Adam manned that one, thank goodness) and hit a few Halloween bashes. The boys had some good times. Isaac was a very scary vampire. On our way to the Pulley party, he was asking me if I thought people would recognize him. Bless Uncle Mark - he was very surprised that the super scary vampire was actually Isaac... just what Isaac was hoping for. Luke wanted to be Spiderman and has loved dressing up as the super hero on a daily basis. Asa was Mickey Mouse thanks to Grandma Pulley giving him a costume that saved me from having one more thing to do.

Isaac carved his all by himself.

Not Luke. But, he did pick out which picture he wanted on his :)

2. We finished the home improvement project that was started about a week before Elise was born. Yes, it was poor timing. Now that it's all done I'm glad that we did it and I feel like I have regained a tiny bit of my sanity since finishing... between trying to get everything painted and taking care of a newborn, I was worried I had completely lost it (my poor boys).

3. Isaac lost his 3rd tooth. Luke wanted to try to pull it out for him once he saw that Adam and I were unsuccessful. Unfortunately, not even his tiny fingers could get a good enough grip on it and it was Uncle Neil who ended up pulling it out a few days later.

4. We blessed Elise last Sunday. It was a great day with tons of family. I was a little worried about trying to squeeze two very large families with oodles of kids into our humble home, but it worked out. We are so blessed to have such an abundance of love and support around us.

5. I finally managed to schedule a 2 week checkup for Elise... just four weeks late. I knew she is doing fine, so I wasn't too concerned it. But, I was curious to see how she was looking on the growth charts... to see if all that eating is paying off (for her :). Here are her impressive stats: Weight - 8 lbs 5 oz (14%), Height - 21.5 inches (49%), Head - 15.5 inches (86% - yes, she is one of ours).

She has been a pretty good baby. I do wish that she slept better at night and that she was more chill, but at least she eats good and she isn't colicky, so I guess I'll keep her :). I think the hardest part about her is that she has horrible timing (I know - she's a newborn). It seems like anytime I need to go someplace immediately, or I need to stop Asa from taking off a poopy diaper, or someone knocks on the door, or I need to get my boys ready for school, etc., she is at her neediest. I know that I shouldn't expect anything else with four kids, but she could throw me a bone every once in a while :).

We all continue to love her to pieces, though. The boys still think she is the greatest thing since chocolate cake. She enjoys constant kisses and sweet words being whispered in her ears. Luke is still the one who is the most enamored by her. He cannot help but kiss and hug her almost constantly. Anytime she cries, he wants to know, "Why is my baby sister is crying?". Isaac still enjoys picking out which bow he thinks I should put on her. Asa continues to surprise me with how gentle he is with her.

So, what do you get when you have a newborn and don't do a post for a month? A butt load of pictures:

Luke wanted to show off his scarecrow.

Asa trying out a little pink.

Deer in headlights

Little goofball

elise rebecca

Last Friday, we were happy to welcome our sweet baby girl into the family. I thought that it would be at least another week before she would arrive, but it was a pleasant surprise when she decided to come a few days earlier than her due date (I've never gone early). So, here is how it all went down that night...

I had been feeling like I might be going into labor that day, but wasn't fully convinced until around 6 o'clock that night. Adam and I had planned one last date night before the baby came. We were going to drop the boys off at his mom's, but I started to think that it might be THE night, so we took a bag with us, just in case. I called my sister, Steph, to see if she happened to be working, and thank goodness, she was. She was my nurse at Isaac and Asa's deliveries, and now she would be there for this one - this brought a huge amount of relief to the night. By the time we got to Adam's mom's house I was pretty sure it was the real deal, so she took the boys back to our house and spent the night with them while Adam and I waited - as long as Adam would allow - at her house until we went to the hospital. I was wanting to do this one "natural", so I wanted to wait as long as possible before going to the hospital. Once the contractions got about 5 minutes apart, Adam was pretty anxious to get to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around eight and when they checked me I was only at a 5. I thought I would have been more like a 7 by the way I was feeling. I started getting nervous (okay, I had been nervous ever since deciding to do this natural). How bad was this going to get... I guess I would find out :). About an hour later I was about an 8. My doc asked if I wanted him to break my water (that always produces an immediate baby for me). Oooo, scary. I still had one last chance for an epidural. If I had him break my water, that chance would be gone. Seriously, just how bad was this going to get?

I told him to go ahead and do it. So, he did. He joked about not wanting to jinx me, and stepped out of the room for a few minutes.... about one minute too long. So, it was just me, Adam and my sister, Steph. You know, Adam and I loved having Steph at the other births, but this time it was a huge blessing. Even though I knew she thought I was nuts for not taking advantage of an epidural, she was her calm, reassuring, encouraging self - exactly what I (and Adam) needed. I didn't feel any pressure from either Adam or her to get the drugs, or not get the drugs. They just tried different ways to relieve some of the pain - my back was killing me! I guess the baby was turned in a way that put a little more of the pressure at my back.

Well, the contractions got crazy intense once he broke my water... thankfully, there were only three of them. On the last one, I had accepted the fact that I was going to die (me being dramatic) then I felt some burning and to all our surprise she came out all by herself - right onto the bed. I didn't even push... or feel like I had to push (like everyone told me I would feel). Steph (jokingly) said, that I was suppose to let her know that I was feeling the need to push before the baby came out, but I never felt that urge... only hideous pain. She called the doctor in, he tortured me some more, and then we were done. It was amazing how great I felt once it was all over. No epidural to wear off - that was awesome. I felt like I could walk around better than when I had gotten there.

It was horribly painful, but it was something I'm very glad I experienced. Adam even liked this birth experience a lot more than the others. I think it made him feel more useful and the whole experience more real compared to the other times... that, or he enjoyed watching me suffer :). I am definitely glad it's over with and that our baby girl is here and that she's healthy.

Elise was born at 9:46 pm on 10/01/10, weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz, and measured 19" long. She is tiny and sweet and we are loving the over abundance of pink that has been added to our home.

The boys have nothing but adoration for their new baby sister. Her head has been smothered in kisses, and she never lacks for a set of arms wanting to hold her. I've even been surprised at how gentle Asa is most of the time (when he's not making abrupt movements around her). He is happy as long as he can give her plenty of kisses and a few love pats. I have also been surprised at just how much Luke has loved his baby sister. I knew Isaac would be head over heals for her, but Luke has been equally - if not more - excited about her.

Here are a couple of sweet moments from Luke:

I came home from the hospital the following evening - after the boys were already in bed. They weren't expecting me until the next day, though. As I was sitting in our front room, Luke came down to use the bathroom, and was clueless that I was there. When I called out his name, he turned around in surprise. He got teary eyed and asked, "Who brought you home?", then he came over and gave me a big hug and, in the sweetest, shaky voice, said, "I'm so glad you're home, mommy."

The next day when he got to meet his sister again, he asked if he could tell her something. So, he went up and whispered in her ear, "Elise, I'm four."

Here are a bunch of pics... I'm sure there will be plenty more to come:

Me looking awesome.

Isaac and Luke meeting their new sister.

Asa's turn.

And, finally grandma's turn.

The first thing Isaac wanted to do when she got home was put this bow on her head. He had been so excited ever since Dani gave us these bows. I have to admit, it does make her all the cuter... or at least look like a girl.

A wiggly two year old by your newborn = nervousness

My neighbor, Brit, made these adorable booties for her.

yay! school!

1. Isaac started kindergarten! He had been eagerly awaiting this day all summer long, as had I. Not that I was excited for him to be gone 2 1/2 hours a day (okay, maybe a little excited), but I really thought that he would just love it.

So, I don't think he 'loves' it, but he definitely doesn't hate it... I guess that's good. I feel like we are both feeling a little let down, though. Him, because it's not what he had imagined or hoped for, and me, because he doesn't love it like I had hoped for. He has already started asking me if he 'has to go to school tomorrow', and looks forward to Saturdays, even when it's only Monday. I'm not quite sure why he has that attitude, because he loves playing with the other kids and overall speaks positively when I ask him about his day. Maybe it's just not as fun as his preschool experience, and he isn't really learning anything yet that he doesn't already know. At least he isn't the same kid I was at his age. I was socially paralyzed, but he doesn't hesitate to join in the fun on the playground. It's helped ease my anxiety about him going to school to be able to watch him play with the other kids when I drop him off. So, hopefully we will see a little more enthusiasm about school as the year roles on.

I had to include this picture because Isaac and Luke's smiles are so goofy.

2. Luke started his first year of 'real' preschool. He had been equally as excited as Isaac about going to school. Luckily, Luke has LOVED his school experience. Of course, preschool is a lot more fun than real school and he only goes two days a week, but I'm pretty sure he would be happy if he could go every day. I'm very excited to see what Luke picks up this year. I haven't been a very diligent mom when it comes to teaching alphabets and numbers and writing (that's what professionals are for, I say :), so he will benefit immensely from his experience. It's cute when I ask him what his favorite thing about school is, he says, "All of it!".

Asa had to get in on all the pics. He was quite bummed that he didn't get to go anywhere like Isaac and Luke.

3. Asa got stitches for the first time. It's actually the first time that any of my kids have had stitches (shocking, yes). He slipped in the bathtub and hit his chin on the side of the tub. It was not a fun experience to hold him down while they stitched him up. I'm sure he has forgotten all about it, but I'm still traumatized from it.


4. Okay, so for some reason, Isaac feels the need to give you updates and/or observations while he is using the bathroom. The other night was probably the best 'observation' that I have heard yet. As I was sitting on the couch, I heard:

Isaac: "Mommy, when I look down, my testicles look kind of weird, like they're old."
Me: "Yeah, sometimes they look kind of silly."
Isaac: "Like an old man's?"
Me: "Yep."
Isaac: "That's weird."

5. Adam got his 'big bull elk'! There had been much anticipation around here for the past few weeks as to whether 'today was the day'. Adam would go out almost every morning as me and the boys would eagerly await his return to see if he had gotten one. I can't count how many times Luke would talk about daddy getting a 'big bull elk'. The boys even got pretty good at identifying a few different elk calls that Adam would practice. Asa even got pretty good at doing his own elk call and identifying any animal with antlers as an 'eh-oh'. So, finally on Saturday morning, we got the call and waited the rest of the day until he finally made it off the mountain to see the prize. Isaac and Luke have been as excited about showing it off as Adam has.

asa turns two

Asa has been two for almost a week now... does that mean I should stop referring to him as a baby? Maybe once the official baby is here I'll be ready to call him a toddler. Whatever he is, he has me wrapped around his finger. Maybe I've chilled out a little as I've gotten 'older', or maybe my other two boys have broke me down enough that a freight train could run through my house and I wouldn't even notice: either way, I think I have been able to endure Asa's toddler antics with more humor and 'patience' than I did with the other two (I feel kind of guilty admitting that). So, even though he's a total stinker, he brightens my day with his fun, goofy, lovable personality. Here are a few things about him at the ripe ol' age of two:

1. He is very lovable and affectionate. He gives us all lots of kisses, hugs, and cuddles that help him get away with a lot. One of my favorite things that he does is pat me on the back as I'm hugging him.

2. He is not shy at all. There was a very brief moment when he considered having some stranger anxiety, but he got through it quickly and is back to not caring whether or not I am there to save him. He will climb into pretty much anyone's lap who sits on our couch.

3. He loves himself a good book. It makes it hard at bedtime, because he doesn't quite get the 'each kid gets to pick out one book' rule, so he will keep coming back with book after book. And, since he's so dang cute, he often gets two or three books (favoritism?).

4. Like I mentioned, he can be a stinker. Isaac and Luke have shed many tears over destroyed projects or pictures that Asa has gotten his hands on (all while laughing).

5. He is a man of few words... but a lot of sounds. He can't say a lot, but he's trying, so I guess that's good... right? One thing he's got down is a good scream (probably thanks to his older brothers example/encouragement), especially when he's in one of his loopy moods, running around.

6. One of my favorite things that he does is give me hugs while he is in the shopping cart. Whenever I stop to grab an item, I get a big Asa hug along with it.

7. Another one is how he backs up into my lap if I am sitting on the floor (which is getting harder these days :).

8. I love his over exaggeration of a lot of things, like: his cheesy smile, the way he turns his head away and draws out his 'no' like you have just suggested something unbearable, and the way he throws himself off balance as nods and says 'uh-huh'.

9. I also love how over dramatic he can be when he gets wet and comes in and says 'brrr' as I take his wet clothes off and wrap him up in a towel, and when he gets hurt, how he says, 'ow, ow, ow... ' in a totally phony voice so that you will baby him.