What we have been up too...

Last Thursday Bethany had her last day of school. She is now officially a 1st grader, which is strange! She really enjoyed school this year, except for a month after Christmas when she really didn't want to go to school. She learned so much and we are so proud of her! Her class did a play the week before school was out. They did the Cheetah and the Sloth, which is similar to the rabbit and turtle. All of the kids were different animals and she was a sheep. She was one of the few kinder's that had a talking part. We had just started working on her part, and then the next day she came home from school and she had it down. By the play Hannah also knew Bethany's part from hearing her say it so much! She is really enjoying being home and probably will for half the summer. Then I think she will be ready to go back. We are excited that she has the same teacher next year and most of the same classmates. And she is so excited that they will be at the new school, with no portables!!

Hannah finished up joyschool last week. Her last day actually got canceled because the teacher had a baby early that morning. She will still have her "graduation" sometime over the summer, and it will be like a class reunion! She will do joyschool again next year, I think she is looking forward to it!

Hannah got to go to the dr's for her 4 year old checkup. She really enjoys going to the dr's unless she has to get shots. Well she was due for some shots. I had warned her before we went that she was going to have to get some pokes. The rest of the morning she was pretty quite and I could tell she was thinking about stuff. She was really worried about getting the pokes, and I felt so bad for her. When it was time she freaked out and it took me and Ky to hold her down while she was screaming for me. We didn't tell her how many pokes she was getting, which I don't know if that is good or bad. But she had to get 3, and she only thought it was 1. So it was hard that she got through the first one and then got poked again, got through that one and got poked again. She probably thought she was in trouble or something! I think the shots get worse as they get older and they remember and know they don't like them. At least she is done with shots until she is 11, except for the lovely flu shots!

Rylan has decided that between 5:00 and 5:30 is a good time to wake up in the mornings!! He has been doing this for about a week, and we haven't really figured it out. He wants milk and a snack and wants to come in our room and watch a certain episode of Dora and Diego that we have recorded. A couple mornings we try to stay with him in his room. Trying to get him to read books or just play quietly in his room to try to break this habit. But he will just scream and scream saying "Out of my room!" He usually wakes up the girls and then everyone is up. So we found it's better to just bring him in our room. He will watch his show quietly and everyone else can sleep. He takes a nap during the day, where the girls won't! This morning he was up at 6:30 which is more normal...so we can only hope.

These three have been playing really well together for the most part. It is so fun when they are all getting along and playing happily. It makes all the not so happy times worth it! They are such good friends which I really love! Bethany has been so cute lately with Rylan. She enjoys taking care of him, helping him get dressed, reading him books, and being a little helper. She also helped Hannah the other day. She was wanting peachy drink and I was feeding Dallen so I told her when I was done I would get her some. Hannah didn't like that answer and started throwing a fit. Bethany offered to get it for her. So she figured out how to open the dishwasher and got a cup. Then got the peachy drink out of the fridge and poured it for her. It was so nice that she was able to help and do that for me. Now I just need to teach Bethany how to pour cereal and milk and she can get them all breakfast in the mornings:)

My mom was here for almost a 1 1/2 weeks...since she ended up coming a little early. We really enjoyed her coming and for all of her help! The kids really wore her out! I didn't do much, but she kept the kids busy and they had a fun week with her. She got to drive the girls around to school, they went miniature golfing, to the zoo, the movies, and they each got to go on a special date with her by themselves. The kids really loved having that attention all to themselves! Thanks again mom!

Ky has been home this last week and part of this week. It has been fun having him home with us and the kids aren't going to know what to do when he has to go back to work. He has also been a huge help with taking care of the kids, cooking dinner, and cleaning. He has been really good with letting me rest and take it easy, which I so appreciate!! I am still trying to figure out what I am going to do when he goes back to work!!

Our little boy is now 2 1/2 weeks old. The time just flies by! He is doing really well. At his 2 week check up he was 6 lbs 15 ounces, we were glad he was past his birth weight. He doesn't eat has much as my other kids did, so I was a little worried. He only wakes up once a night to eat, which is amazing! It's been that way since we came home from the hospital. He has also slept through the night twice so far. He has started to be a little more alert when he is awake. It is fun to see how much he has changed in this short time already!

This little guy not only has a full head of hair, but he has curly hair! I noticed it in the hospital after his bath. They brought him back with his hat on, and when I took it off to look at his hair it was a little wavy. I wondered then if it was curly or if it just got wavy from the hat. After we washed it the first time at home it went curly. But after a couple of hours it got really crazy and kind of turned into a fro. So I added a little bit of gel the next time and it held the curls all day! I thought it was pretty cute!! Ky says he just likes it down flat. I like having options and changing it up. I love having a baby with fun hair!!

Dallen Clay

Our little boy Dallen Clay joined our family on May 8th at 11:42 pm. He weighed in at 6 lbs 13 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. He came with a full head of hair, much more than my other kids.

Now for the lovely story. I went in for my ob appointment and it took my dr. about 5 minutes to find the heartbeat. He was moving around during this time so I wasn't too worried. She finally found his heartbeat but it was up in the middle of my stomach. Not a good sign. So they pulled out the ultrasound machine and sure enough they found his head up in my ribs. Crazy little boy was breech! The previous week at my appointment he was head down and at a -1 station. I had felt him head down for most of my last trimester. I've been asked didn't you feel the baby move? And yes, but I didn't know what it was at the time. The Sunday night before my appointment I was up for a couple hours at night just hurting. Not contractions like I had been having but just pain. I had no idea what it was and was trying not to read too much into it. Then Wednesday night after my appointment I was up for a couple hours in a lot of pain. It felt like he was sideways in me and just hurting again in a weird way. So I am pretty sure that is when he turned, I just didn't know what it was.

Since I was over 39 weeks along when a baby is breech they either try to do a version or schedule a c-section. I opted to try the version first and then if they couldn't get him turned to do the c-section. They don't like to wait and see if the baby will flip on their own because there is a high chance that they won't turn and if you go into labor on your own with a breech baby there is a good chance you will have to have a c-section. So we scheduled the version and possible c-section for Friday. It was nice to have a time scheduled and we were able to get the last minute things done and my mom was able to fly in early to watch the kids. But it was also really nerve racking knowing your going to have the baby, but not knowing how. It was impossible to prepare ourselves.

When we got to the hospital they do an ultrasound to make sure the baby is still breech. And we were presently surprised and they found him head down like he should be. I was so relieved not to have the version done, they are supposedly pretty painful! So then they got us over to a room and started the medicine. We had a nice relaxing 7 hours to get some rest until it was time to push. He came out with only 2 1/2 pushes and it took a whole couple minutes. It was the easiest labor and delivery that I have had so far which was really nice.

I really did feel great after having Dallen. I was so happy to finally hold my little boy that caused so much grief for 9 months!! I'm still not quite sure how he fit in me and how he was doing flips in there though!

The first time the kids held him. The girls were so excited! They had been waiting to come visit mommy and the baby in the hospital forever! They are so gentle and sweet with him.Rylan really didn't know what to think about him. I think he thought it was more of a doll than a real baby. At one point he was up close to him and Dallen made a noise or moved, and Rylan got so scared! He backed up and then would not get close to him again.

Rylan with Dallen after we got home from the hospital. At first he still wasn't very sure about him. But shortly after he warmed up to him and know he thinks Dallen is his baby. He gets upset that we won't just give the baby to him to play with. He took us upstairs to show the baby his room, and his toys, and loves to share all his toys with Dallen by putting them on top of him. Rylan is also very sweet. Whenever Dallen is crying he will come over and hold his hand and give him kisses. He is a great big brother!!

Bethany loves to hold Dallen. She washes her hands over and over so she can hold him again and again. She loves to help me with him!!

Hannah also loves to hold Dallen, but more she loves to look at him and give him kisses. One of the first things she said to me at the hospital was "Mommy when are we going to have another baby?" I told her that that was up to her and Bethany when they grow up!!

I am so glad that Dallen is here and we don't have to play the waiting game anymore! He has been a wonderful baby so far and can only hope that it lasts! My favorite thing to do right now is to just sit and hold my baby! They are only this small for such a short time. I wish we could just pause time once in awhile so it doesn't pass by so fast!! We sure love you Dallen!!