One December Day...

I don't know what the temperature was yesterday, but it was nice enough for us to go outside and play and be comfortable!!  Adah got this new scooter for Christmas from Gma and Pa Smith so she was dying to try it out!  I love warm weather, but being that it's winter, I wish we would get some snow!!  Soon enough, I'm sure!

Adah is 25 MONTHS!

Same story for Adah...too busy to write/keep track of things this month!  I will try to write more next month!  Pictures are the best part of these posts anyway!!

Since we've been home...

I've taken pictures, pictures and more pictures!!  Seriously, I have issues...I cannot stop taking pictures of her!

That last picture is Eden and I at what would have been my 39th week pregnant!  The rest I have no excuse for taking except that she is irresistable!!!  You can plan to be seeing many more pictures of her in the coming posts!!

A slight fettish?

Adah is loving our car seat since it came back out of storage.  These are the first pictures I have taken of her with it though.  She even grunts when she is carrying it around!  She loves to buckle the buckles and often climbs in it to relax, but mostly she likes to put her babies in it!  So much for her using the doll carrier we got her for Christmas!  This is way more entertaining anyway!

 

 

 

 

Smith Family Christmas!!

What a blessing to get to be a part of my family Christmas!  I was worried that after missing Brian's family Christmas I would miss mine too.  We were a little unsure if we were going to be out of the NICU in time, but it all worked out!  I knew that our individual family Christmas could be done anytime after we got home from the hospital, but to reschedule the big family Christmas would be unrealistic.  So, we are thankful to be a part of it.  We woke up yesterday and celebrated with just our family of SIX and then loaded up the van to make it in time for the 5pm candle light service at Orchard Hill Church.  We then headed over to mom and dad's for our traditional appetizer supper and to spend the night.  Emily's family didn't stay but Jamie's did.  We were all pretty tired so we didn't stay up too late doing our usual game playing.  We mostly just sat around eating and talking!  We woke up Christmas morning and the kids were so excited of course!  Mom made an awesome breakfast and Emily's family came back right away in the morning so we could eat and get started on opening gifts!  It always feels so good to give gifts and having had Keziah's help in wrapping this year, I would say she had just as much fun giving away the gifts she helped with as she did opening gifts!  One last gift to open was Austin's from my parents...he got a really nice cross bow.  He couldn't stop grinning!!  The box it came in ended up creating much entertainment for Keziah, Adah and Ethan.  I think it was turned into many different things.  They used other boxes to tape to it and a whole lot of tape too!  Adah just liked to lay in it!  The rest of the day we were pretty lazy (except mom preparing our lunch!).  We played with toys and picked up and did a lot of eating!  Mom made an excellent lunch for us all!  We have been so blessed to have each other.  What a great way to spend Christmas!  Merry Christmas every one!

Our Family Christmas!

We had such a wonderful Christmas!  I can't imagine anything better then having Eden home and not being away from our family for Christmas!  We woke up early Christmas Eve.  Eden needed to have her jaundice checked which meant a trip to the hospital for some blood work.  Brian took her to do that while I stayed and made homemade donuts with my new donut pan from Mat and Steph.  When Brian got back with Eden we opened presents.   The kids all got many things they are going to enjoy for days to come.  One thing we got for the family was a used Wii.  I am super excited to have this around to spend time doing with the kids.  We have some fun games to go with it and I got Austin and Brian the wii game Wipe Out (a game show they like to watch).  This year I had the pleasure of seeing Austin give his sisters gifts that he bought with his own money and picked out at the store for them.  They were so happy and will probably never forget where those gifts came from.  Keziah got a hippo webkin and Adah got a doll that talks.  I know I have said it many times before, but Austin has such a caring heart!  I love that kid!  And the girls adore him too!

I feel like this year has been so much more stressful with our pregnancy and then Eden's birth, that I have somewhat forgotten what Christmas is about.  I feel like I have just been trying to 'get things done' and have sort of gotten lost in the busyness of life.  When Eden was born and I was alone in the NICU I had time to reflect on what a gift she is and what a gift God's son was and still is. The Bible is real. Jesus is real.  It's that simple.  We all know the story...He was brought here as a little baby born to the virgin Mary.  He grew up as a man like all of us and then hung on a cross to die for US so our sins could be forgiven so that we can live.  I can never imagine giving my child to die for anybody like Jesus did for us.  What an amazing story!  God is so good and has such an amazing plan for all of us just like he did his own son.  I am grateful Eden got to be a part of it this year and many years to come!  God bless everyone!  Merry Christmas!

Keziah is 4yrs. + 1 Month!

Just pictures this month...life is just a little too busy right now to do anything more!  I will make sure to say a lot next month...hopefully!!

Our Christmas Gift!

I couldn't decide on just one so I posted all three!  She is just too precious, huh?
(about a week old-5lbs. 14oz. almost 20")

 

 

Lovin' our littles!

We are thoroughly enjoying being home and being parents of four kids!  Everyone is adjusting well.  I am sure if you asked each kid individually how they were doing they would each tell you they were feeling a little neglected (maybe that's just how I feel), but we are figuring things out more and more every day!  The girls adore Eden and ask constantly if they can hold her.  Adah is always giving her kisses on the head and hugs on the belly!  If she cries Adah always wants to make it better and says, 'it's ok baby, it's ok.'  Baby Eden gets a lot of mom's attention as I am trying to eat all this babyness up as much as possible since she is our last...yep, you heard that right (I'd take another, but...I'm only half of the equation!).  Eden is growing so fast, I don't want to miss a minute of it!  I got a book series from a friend and have learned a lot from it.  One of the things in there is a schedule of how to divide your time and teach your kids how to play alone, together and with a parent.  This has allowed each of the older girls (and Austin when he wants it) undivided attention at some point during the day.  It has been a tremendous tool in making me feel better about cuddling Eden in the chair sometimes from one feeding to the next!!

Here is Eden having her first bath here at home (12/22/11).  She loves it!

Our NICU stay!

This whole experience was so hard, scary, exciting, fun, blessed, etc.  It was so great to be able to have those four days with Eden without any of the other kids around but the circumstances didn't allow for it to be relaxing.  I wish I could have just enjoyed it!  I got released to go home on Friday since I had Eden on Wed. The room Eden was in originally was really small and had only a curtain for privacy, but that is where I planned to stay on a cot.  And then that evening she just happened to get moved to a different bay in the NICU where a family was just leaving.  The room was very large, had a TV, a window to the outdoors and a bed.  What a blessing!  Every morning we got to see at least a doctor with his residents.  They always asked questions and told us a plan.  It was nice to know that even if we didn't see any doctors all day we could rely on at least seeing one on rounds in the morning.  At one point, after doing a scan on Eden's eyes they thought she might have a viral infection so they sent out bloodwork for something called the TORCH tests.  This caused Eden to be on isolation which required everyone that came in contact with her to wear a gown and gloves.  After being examined by infectious disease doctors, it was completely ruled out but since the tests hadn't come back negative, the isolation order couldn't be removed per hospital policy.  The reason they ordered these tests was because of a finding on the back of her eye that looked like scars.  Now that they don't think it's infection, they are thinking the 'scars' (raised images) look more like lesions (indents).  They think this fits well with the fluid in her ventricles and that she may have Aicardi Syndrome.  We are just praying that whatever the outcome that Eden is happy and that God's will be done.  He has a plan for her life and who are we to get in the way of it!  She is going to be precious and wonderful no matter what!  Just look at her...she's a doll!  God made her just the way he wants her!

When the kids arrived on Sunday we were just going to do a trial run to see how everyone did, but it worked out so well we decided to keep them until it was time to go home (which ended up being Tuesday the 20th).  Originally I thought I would be able to stay at the RMH with the kids and Brian but then realized it would be a little drive for me to come over in the night to feed Eden.  So I just stayed with her.  On Sunday night Brian just took the kids over when it was time for bed.  Adah slept on a cot at the foot of Keziah's bed and Austin slept on the pull out couch.  There were two queen sized beds so Brian slept on the other.  Adah apparently got woken up by Keziah coming in for bed so that was rough, Brian said.  Otherwise the night went smooth.  On Monday there was a craft hour for the girls but only Keziah wanted to stay.  She made a cute reindeer!  After some lunch in the hospital cafeteria which consisted of several trips to the bathroom with various children, Brian took the girls back to the RMH for naps and then came back over to the hospital when they got up.  We tried to go to the hospital library but it was closed when we got there.  There was a book rack outside the door with free VHS movies on it for kids.  We picked one out and took it back to our room to watch.  We hung out a little while and then after I fed Eden I took the kids back to the RMH to eat supper and put them to bed.  I was so overwhelmed by how that place operates.  There was a calendar completely filled out with names of families that were coming in to cook meals for the people staying.  I was able to feed my kids and not have the burden of finding unhealthy fast food to feed them or the cost!  The meal was healthy and there was a ton of it.  There was even dessert!  Then the kids played in one of the huge play rooms where the kids played with a little boy about 6 years old.  I gathered that his mom was in the hospital and he was there staying with his dad.  The little boy cried when we told him we had to go to our room to go to bed.  We gave him a big hug.  I took the kids up to the room and got them ready for bed.  There was a library there and I had them pick out several books.  I got a few things in place for Brian in the morning and then left Austin with the girls sleeping and went back to the hospital to trade places with Brian.  I guess Adah woke up in the night and thought I should still be there since I was when she went to bed.  It took a while to get her back to sleep, but otherwise another good night.  We were told we were going to get to go home by Wed. so we planned to stick it out one more night but then we got the great news that we were being released on Tuesday (yesterday) instead!  Austin and I went to work loading the van and rearranging car seats so we could bring our precious Eden home finally!  I think we were out in the parking ramp for almost an hour while Brian stayed with the three girls in the hospital room.  He survived it though!  We got released but still had to go back to the RMH to clean.  The weather was less than favorable as it was raining and then turned to snow by the time we were headed home.  We arrived home just in time for supper.  To our surprise, Brian's mom was there and had supper prepared for us.  What a treat!  We are so blessed by so many people.  Thank-you everyone for all that you did.  Even if you didn't physically do anything but just prayed for us daily...you are amazing and I am so thankful for you!

We had a few visitors (it helps that we used to live in Marion and work in Cedar Rapids)...on Wed. Kristin Linnell and Jami Modracek came in the evening.  On Friday afternoon Angie Harkin and her daughter Abbi came to visit (right as Brian was leaving).  On Friday evening (right as we were about to switch rooms) Emily, Adam and my mom came.  So they got to help us move into our new room!  By saturday I was feeling lonely and really looking forward to Sunday when Brian and the kids arrived!

Here is a video of the girls meeting Eden for the first time:

Uglum Family Christmas!!

Brian went home last night to be with the kids while I stayed behind in the NICU with Eden :(  I really felt like the kids could use some time with their dad being home in their own beds for a couple nights.  Today Brian's family celebrated Christmas.  His sister and her family were home from Minnesota so the kids were really looking forward to some time with their cousins too. Adah is smitten for her Uncle Mat and this funny talking Gopher (it sings that one song: I'm alright, nobody worry about me, etc.).  I think at one point the gopher went missing though because the button got pushed a few too many times!  And the girls always have a good time cuddling with their Auntie Steph.  Earlier this morning I talked to Riley (Brian's dad) and asked him how hard it would be to set up Skype.  He and Mat said they would work together to get it going.  It was the best gift ever to be able to see my little family.  It was so neat to talk to each of them and see what they got as gifts.  Kezzie didn't know what to think at first.  I could tell she was a little weirded out to see me on the screen...in live motion!  I miss them so very much and can't wait to see them when they get here tomorrow!  We have a suite reserved at the Ronald McDonald House.  How nice is that?  What a blessing it will be to share little Eden with her big brother and sisters.  It was a great day today...God is so good!

She's Here...

Eden Elizabeth Uglum

December 14, 2011

10:30 AM

5lbs. 15.5oz.

~19.5" long

I am as shocked as anybody!!  She's 3 weeks early!!

Me at 37 weeks!!  The day before she was born!!

Yesterday we came to Iowa City for our initial consultation. At first, when we got there, I was examined by a resident.  She said I was about 1-2cm dilated and my belly was only measuring at 35 weeks (she thought that was strange being that just days before I measured at 37 weeks).  She also told us right off the bat that she would not schedule me a c-section before 39 weeks.  I was really upset about this because I knew the risk of me going into labor before that (Adah was born at 38.5 weeks) and I also knew my history of delivering quickly (Keziah was born 3.5 hours after my first contraction).  With the weather unpredictable too, we were feeling really frustrated.  I was told that if I went into labor that my hometown doctor would have to do a c-section and then the baby would be airlifted to Iowa City and I would catch up to her later.  I really didn't like this idea of us being in separate places so this resident was not my favorite person!  After the resident discussed this with a doctor, the doctor came in and basically said the opposite of what the resident was saying.  Knowing all that about my labor history and with the weather unpredictable this time of year, she said we would probably be scheduling the c-section soon.  I was relieved!  After that apt. and after talking with a couple other areas (genetics, etc.) we went in for our ultrasound.  They right away measured the fluid and said both ventricles were just above 32mm.  We didn't know if we should be happy that the one ventricle hadn't grown much or if we should be sad that the other ventricle had grown a lot!  The sonographer told us not to think about the numbers and that it could just be a difference in the way they were measured.  The sonographer left the room and told us the doctors would be in shortly to look themselves and to talk to us.  I was able to take a nap it took so long.  I think it ended up being close to 40 minutes.  Finally a group of 5 or 6 people came in and one of the doctors was the doctor that Emily (my sister) loved so much when she delivered Bennett in Iowa City. I knew her right away and felt such a relief to know she was going to be a part of the decision making process.  She took over the ultrasound wand and started looking all over.  She first of all told us we were definitely going to be delivering naturally and that her head was the size of a normal baby her age.  I started clapping like a little girl!  Then she showed me how squished the baby's face was...She said this was not good and that the amniotic fluid was below the lowest that they like to see (hence the reason I was measuring at 35 weeks).  They asked me if I thought I had been leaking fluid and I said I wasn't sure but didn't think so.  Then she proceeded to ask if we wanted to have a baby today!  We were shocked.  The night before this appointment I was packing my hospital bag to bring with me and I could just tell Brian was laughing inside because he thought I was ridiculous.  I was the one laughing now because I could relax and know I had what I needed!  They told us to go get my bag and head to labor and delivery when we were ready.  We didn't rush to labor and delivery because we were really just trying to process everything.  Brian seemed a little hesitant.  I had to remind him that just because they stated it as a question, it wasn't like we really had a choice with the amnio fluid so low!  Sooo off we went!

We got checked into our room around 5:15.  Around 5:30pm a nurse came in and started me on an IV of pitocin.  They didn't up it very quickly and I feel like that made it take longer.  My cervix didn't progress for a long time.  I got my epidural (yes, I gave in...Brian really wanted me to have one this time) around 1:30AM because they wanted to break my water and they claimed that if they did that that things were going to start going really fast.  They were wrong!!  Around 5:45 they checked me and I was only at 3cm...not good.  The whole night is a blur, but I will never forget how I felt that night.  I was so alone.  I cried.  A LOT!  I couldn't sleep.  Brian could.  He even managed to snore.  I kept yelling his name in between snores but he wasn't hearing me.  I thought about throwing my pillow at him but then again, I didn't want that to fail too and then be without a pillow!  I was scared and frustrated that in the end she could end up being delivered by c-section.  I rarely saw a doctor.  Everyone was a stranger to me.  I was freaking out about the days following her birth.  And yet had nobody to talk to.  Periodically I would manage to wake Brian up to ask for a hug!  He would oblige and then go back to sleep.  One thing I did that comforted me was I prayed.  I would lay there with my eyes closed and try to fall asleep and I would just talk to God.  I won't lie, I never felt full peace amongst my anxious mind, but I kept feeling like everything was going to be ok.  I didn't feel so alone.  About every half hour the nurse would come in to 'up' my pitocin but they rarely had much to say.  One nurse was comfortable with upping it 2 points at a time, another would only do one.  It seemed like it was taking forever!  Through it all the baby was doing so great so they said we'd just keep going with it!  Around 8 AM this morning I was in a lot of pain and feeling so upset that I hadn't been examined in a while.  The nurse came in and I was certain the position I was in was putting a crick in my back.  I was sitting up with my legs buddha style and the nurse thought it might help if I lay down.  Well, I knew that sitting up was better to help get the baby out then laying down so I declined.  Finally I realized it was actually contractions and that my epidural had wore off on my left side.  I quickly remembered what it felt like to not have an epidural!  Around 9:30 the anesthesiologist came in to put in a bodice to try and get it working on the left side again.  He finished, walked out and I right away said, "I think I am actually ready to push".  The doctor came in and checked me and said I was fully dilated.  I gave a couple pushes while the docs and nurses got everything ready and then they told me to stop.  The epidural still wasn't working.  It was time to push again and after a long hard push I stopped to gain my strength.  All the sudden I opened my eyes and said, "Oh, the epidural just started working!"  I gave a couple more pushes...and voila!  Eden Elizabeth was born!  I got to hold her right away!  She was breathing on her own, pink like she should be and screaming like a baby!  She is perfect!  God has blessed us once again!

36 weeks prego and a check up!!

Yesterday I was 36 weeks pregnant.  I am feeling really good except for sleeping at night.  I am taking extra strength tylenol before bed and in the middle of the night to try to battle the pain.  My hips throb with pain and rolling over is the death of me.  It's temporary, I hope!  I'm sure when the baby is out I will be back to myself again!

We went to Mason City today for a check up with Dr. Hwang.  My belly measured at 37 weeks.  The baby's heart rate was in it's normal range of 140/150.  The fluid in the ventricles has increased quite a bit.  In the right ventricle there is 32mm of fluid, in the left one there is 20mm.  Dr. Hwang definitely feels like we need to have a c-section based on this information because he thinks her head is too big to deliver naturally.  He also feels like if we did try to deliver naturally the birth canal would put too much pressure on her already increased pressure brain.  I don't want to do more harm to her than what's already done so I agreed that would be best.  I am so upset with this delivery plan, but God knows what is best and is working it out according to his will.  So based on this we have to be seen in Iowa City.  This can't be done in New Hampton because the baby will need to be seen immediately by a neurosurgeon to determine if a shunt is needed (Dr. Hwang thinks this will definitely need to be done with the amount of fluid she has).  We were sent home to wait on a call for an appointment in Iowa City.  We will start with a baseline appointment where they do an exam and ultrasound to start their own file and we will also set up the date of the c-section.  I feel really anxious about this because Adah was 1.5 weeks early and Keziah was born in no time flat so for us to have 2.5 hours to drive to the hospital if I were to go into labor before the scheduled c-section makes me feel nervous.  I am praying they will get our appointment in Iowa City in a timely manor and then also that our c-section will be scheduled in a timely manor too.  God is in control, right?  I have to remind myself of that!!

Tomorrow I see Dr. Shea for my 36 week check (she was sick on Tuesday and rescheduled me to Thursday) and discuss with her what I am supposed to do if I go into labor before I even get to Iowa City!

UPDATE:  They called this afternoon and we have an appointment scheduled in Iowa City next Tuesday (Dec. 13th).  I am thrilled.  We don't have to wait too long then!!

OWLS galore!!

Our newly painted/decorated upstairs girls bathroom...

I think this bathroom will be a huge blessing in later years!  It's huge with double sinks and a very large mirror!  The girls love owls and hopefully will for years to come. 

 My two little owls.  Each girl received an owl towel for their birthday and baby will get hers for Christmas if she's here!  There are three hooks for my three girls!!

Adah is 24 MONTHS! TWO!!!

When did this happen?  When did she get so big?!

Adah is so sweet and incredibly laid back.  Her hair is adorable and she is to the point where she will let me do whatever it takes to keep it out of her face!  I had to keep the lower left picture because Kezzie took that one and it was so cute with her hair in her face. 

Adah got two new teeth this month:  her L top molar 10/29 and her R top molar 11/1.  It did bother her quite a bit too.  She was restless at night and had a hard time falling asleep.  Otherwise she has still been pretty happy during the day.

Adah hit a huge milestone this month.  I guess I don't know if you would consider it a milestone but it is a HUGE deal!  She gave up the paci!  I was planning on cutting her off cold turkey but when I took it away for nap on Halloween day and then we went out trick-or-treating, she was pretty traumatized from that (she did not like anything with a mask).  I decided she could have it that night but that the next day she was done.  And she was okay with that.  She hasn't gone back since!!  I am so proud of my big girl and yet it makes me a little sad because it's the last babyish thing left!  I guess it's a good thing we are having another baby!!  Adah is far from acting like a baby...she is very polite always saying her please and thank-yous!  One of her favorite things to say is think after every sentence!  I don't know what she is trying to say sometimes because it usually doesn't make sense.

Adah continues to have zero interest in watching anything on TV.  I'm ok with this, I just think it's strange!  She would much rather be off playing by herself!

Adah loves to jump downstairs.  This is like a newly discovered thing for the girls.  They figured out that if they take the cushions off the couch downstairs they can pretend they are at the bouncy place.  They go downstairs daily now and have so much fun!  Adah will often ask Kezzie if she wants to go downstairs with her!  They will also do somersaults off the couch onto the cushions on the floor.

Adah's favorite foods I would have to say are spaghetti and mac-n-cheese.  She gets SUPER excited about mac-n-cheese!  The kids loves it!  I have noticed Adah does a lot left handed.  She uses both hands, but I would say she uses her left hand more.

Our Adah is just so funny!  I wish I could be a fly on the wall watching her all the time because she is hilarious with her expressions and pretend play.  She loves life and loves her family (especially Keziah and daddy)!  And I can't get enough of her!  I am excited to see what God has planned for her this year!

On a side note, being that it is her second birthday today, I want to mention that since she is so young we didn't really do anything to celebrate today.  We had her birthday party yesterday and I think that was enough excitement for her and to do something today probably just would have confused her!  I'm sure we will have plenty of other years to make up for it!

UPDATE: We  had Adah's 2year well-child visit today (12/8/11).  She weighed in at 27.2 lbs. and was 34.5" tall!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving was such a busy time for us!  Thursday ended up being a really fun day.  We thought it was just going to be a few relatives over to my parents' house but it ended up being almost everyone on my dad's side (except my sisters!).  It was so great to see family since we don't always get to in the winter it seems (we see them more in the summer at the river).  We just went for the day because we were busy trying to get ready for the girls' birthday party on Saturday.  Kezzie was more than ecstatic to get to spend the day with some of her favorite people.  She and Leora spent a lot of time outside building a fort (see photo below) with a hammer and nails even (I guess grandpa approved that!).  They even made a pretend alarm clock in their fort!  Alicia and Victoria had their usual fighting over Adah.  Who was going to carry her around, who was going to get to play with her!  Adah loves the attention and loves her cousins!  She has also become pretty attached to her great uncle Perry and Aunt Cindy.  I don't know what it is about that that makes me smile...I guess it's because I love them so much too!  Austin, of course, had a blast playing with the boys outside...this consists of Johnathan, Jonathan and Joshua.  It wouldn't be a Smith gathering without someone going to the ER.  Jonathan (Perry and Cindy's boy) ended up slipping outside and cutting his finger on a piece of glass.  Nothing a few stitches didn't fix! 

I love my family and am so Thankful this season for every one of them!  Not to mention my own little family!  Look at those cute kids (and the one growing in my belly!)  Life is such a joy!

Thanksgiving didn't stop with Thursday for us.  Friday we got to spend the evening with Brian's family and celebrate Thanksgiving!  His sister and family were coming into town for the girls' birthday party so it was only logical to have thanksgiving with them too!  We made an attempt at some family pictures and this is what we got!  I just had to dress the girls in their dresses because Grandma Uglum was the one that bought them (and they are so darn cute)!

Just the grandkids!

Thanksgiving didn't stop there either because since my sisters and their families weren't around when we had the big family Thanksgiving on Thursday, my mom decided to do a turkey of her own and celebrate with just our family.  It was a fantastic home cooked thanksgiving meal and another great day to be with family!  We are so blessed and so thankful for everything we have!

The Girls' Birthday Party!!

I can't believe we are celebrating our girls' fourth and second birthdays!  Where does the time go?  We had so much fun at their party with family and a couple friends.  We went with a butterfly theme this year.  I didn't do a whole lot of decorations like last year, but did print off some butterflies and had them hanging around the house.  I also ordered a flower arrangement that had some butterflies in it.  It was beautiful!  And it's never a party without balloons!  The girls never stopped smiling.  We had thirteen kids under the age of five and Austin.  It was pretty crazy and I was really thankful for our newly reorganized toy room in the basement!  We had a wonderful meal of baked ziti, bread sticks, seven layer salad and fruit!  I let each of the girls pick out the kind of cake they wanted and made each of their cakes and cupcakes in their kind.  Kezzie picked strawberry and Adah picked confetti.  Perfect for their personalities!!  This year we actually sang to each of them individually.  I think they both felt special!  They are both so special!  I am so thankful for each of them and how they have changed our family!  Happy Birthday Keziah and Adah!  Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Oh Christmas Tree!!!

We decided to set up the tree tonight (Austin declared he is too cool for this)!  Just one of those things I like to get out of the way before the girls' birthday party!  Plus, the longer it can be up, the more we can enjoy it!  I am sure I mentioned in an earlier post about getting this tree from Menards.  As you know, last year our tree fell over three times so it was definitely time to get a new one!  I love it!  It really energized me to get it up too!  Bring on the Holidays!!

Keziah is FOUR YEARS OLD!!!

Keziah is already four!  I can't believe how fast time goes by!  Look at how beautiful she is.  The top one was pictures I took 2 days before her birthday.  She got her hair cut and styled so I just had to take pictures!  The next group is of her on her birthday!  That morning we woke up and she got to open one gift-a dress up magnetic doll set.  She got to eat a special egg/toast breakfast, and later in the morning Grandma Uglum came and painted her nails a glittery silver and even used a nail dryer.  She felt pretty special to get her nails done!!  For lunch we went to McDonald's (her choice of course) and ate and played.  That night Grandma and Grandpa Uglum came over for some homemade pizzas (per Kezzie's request), sugar cookies, and of course a couple more presents!  Some clothes from g-ma and pa and her owl towel for her new owl bathroom!  She wore it everywhere the whole night!  She had a great birthday but I think she will be even more excited when she has more family and friends for her big birthday party!

Keziah has such a sweet personality but is really very sneaky in a lot of ways.  She is persuasive and kniving too!  I often have to remind her that Jesus doesn't like it when we lie!  She is such a love bug and still likes to cuddle me.  I hope that never ends!  She thrives on one on one attention and usually will request to read a book or do a craft during our alone time.  She loves her daddy a lot but I would say she still prefers her mom!  Keziah recently counted past 100 (with a little prompting on the next tens digit after 39-40, 50, 60, etc).  She knows how to spell her name and Adah's name and thinks she is spelling a lot of other things too.  Everything usually starts with a 'T' and ends in a 'Y'.  I just pretend like I don't know how to spell everything she knows how to spell and ask her what she is spelling.  I do correct her sometimes too so she can learn how things are really spelled.  She really has no interest in learning how to write things but does point out letters she has written while she is drawing.  She still has a very loud voice and has started talking a lot about cheer leading someday!  I guess she would be perfect for it!  She even spent some of her early birthday money on a megaphone and pom poms!!  I was never a cheerleader but we have had fun coming up with some fake cheers for the Chickasaws and Hawks!  She's really good at saying, "Go Red!"

Here is a picture of me at 4 years old...resemblance?  I don't think she looks like me too much, but I do see this look on her face sometimes!

Happy Birthday to my 'baby' girl!!!

UPDATE:  Keziah had her four year old well child visit today (12/8/11).  She weighed in at 36.7 lbs. and 41.5" tall.   She didn't have to have any shots today...whew!!!

34 weeks Pregnant!

Getting closer by the day!  I am so excited to meet our little one!  The girls are going to be so much fun to have around her.  I just love watching them with their dolls!  Even Kezzie has started to treat Adah like a little baby again...I think she is getting herself all practiced up!!  I had my doctor apt. today and everything is still going fine with the baby.  I have a lot of complaints as my body is getting weaker and the muscles are spreading out though.  I have been taking extra strength tylenol every night to help me sleep but some nights that isn't cutting it anymore.  I really don't have many complaints for during the day so I am thankful for that!  The baby's heart beat was running about the same as usual.  My uterus was measuring right on at 34 weeks so that is good.  And I am happy to say that I have only gained a couple pounds this last two weeks!  Yay for that!!  I see the doctor in another two weeks and then we start going every week.  Only two weeks (Dec. 7) until we see our specialist again!  I am so very excited!

Weekend to Remember!

God's timing is perfect!!  We have had tickets to go to the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference for two years now and finally got to go this year.  I was devastated when I was desperate for a break, about to give birth to Adah, and Brian started having some pretty severe stomach issues.  We had to cancel our plans to go.  But God knew what was best and because I was still nursing Adah the next year, we opted out then too.  This was the year!  We could only transfer our tickets for up to two years so we knew we either had to go or give our tickets away!  This was the first time we had left our kids overnight and knowing now what we know (our kids can, in fact, survive without us!) we will definitely be doing this again!  We had such a great time together.  Not only was it nice to have two nights without any responsibility for kids, but we also got to hear some really wonderful speakers.  It was even just fun riding in the car with my husband to get there and actually being able to talk without the sound of a DVD playing or the fighting in the backseat!  Saturday we had date night and got to go out to eat and to a movie.  We even did a little shopping before all that!  It was such a wonderful time.  We learned a lot about oneness and that God is our top priority but that next in line is our spouse (even before our kids which is a tough one sometimes).  We got to write love letters to each other too and at the end of the conference on Sunday they had us recite our vows to each other (everyone at the same time in the meeting, so we weren't on the spot or anything!).  I HIGHLY recommend that everyone go to this at least once.  I can guarantee you won't go just once though.  We plan to go every 2 years at least!  God has blessed me with my perfect mate and I am soooo thankful for that!

It was kind of funny...when we got there the lady at the front desk told us she got us a king size bed but that it was in a presidential suite meaning it had a huge table in it!  Every time we opened the door to our room there was a huge room with a giant table and TV and then we had to go to the next room to get to our very large bed in our very tiny room.  It served its purpose but it was just funny!  The table came in handy too because Saturday morning we ordered room service for breakfast and it was nice to have a table to sit at!!

Very pregnant but still smiling!! 

Moments in time...

This morning I want to remember a couple things...Kezzie and Austin woke up with excitement to find there was snow on the ground.  Kezzie was pounding the bathroom door to get daddy's attention so she could tell  him about it.  Austin was at first frustrated to see that every school around here had a two hour delay except his.  Come to find out his did too but it just wasn't being posted online or on tv (we got a text on our phone instead).  So once he realized he had an extra two hours to kill he quickly fed himself and Kezzie (he was motivated) some cereal and they were headed outside.  I was left to eat breakfast with my little Adah and I began to reflect on how blessed I was to have time with Adah (even though she was protesting the fact that she didn't get to go out!) and on how fast time has gone by for the other two.  I found myself really enjoying the time alone with Adah, and realizing how quickly Kezzie and Austin have grown and become buddies.  What an exciting day to wake up to a ground full of wet snow (perfect for snow balls) and then to have the two of them go out and play together and to get to enjoy breakfast with only my youngest before the baby comes...I feel so blessed.  God has blessed me so much!  So, even though it's only 33 degrees outside, I am definitely thankful for this day!
A funny story...
I took Austin to school this morning since it was so slushy and wet out and I didn't want him walking in his shoes.  I had to run to the post office so I decided to do that at the same time.  I didn't bother dressing the girls since they didn't need to get out of the car.  I dropped Austin off and headed to the post office.  I was running in really quick and the girls are in full view the whole time so they just stayed in the car.  As I paid to have my package sent off I noticed Kezzie get out of her car seat.  No big deal, she does this and it's usually to help Adah get a book or something.  BUT, when I got back out to the car and came around the corner, I got quite the sight!  Kezzie was standing with her jammie pants pulled down, she was butt naked with the side door wide open declaring she had to pee (we travel with a little potty in our car so apparently she was going to pee in it but I have no idea why the door had to be open to do it).  Adah was looking at a book, so I was right about that part, but I was completely shocked to see Kezzie just standing there naked with the door open.  I quickly closed the door and told her never to open it when I am not there and explained to her how dangerous this was (I guess I know now that the doors open from the inside if the car is off, even when all the doors are locked) and then we also had to have a talk about how much older she is getting and how she needs to have a little modesty when we are out in public.  I really wonder how many people got to see that!

32 Weeks Pregnant!

We are getting closer!  I feel like I am physically ready already but I know the baby isn't so I am glad there is still time for her.  I had my check up today and her heart rate was where it usually is: between 150 and 160.  She was kicking every time the doctor would move the wand!  Kezzie really wanted to hear the heart beat for longer so while the doctor measured my belly, Kezzie got to hold the heart beat machine all by herself!  She thought that was pretty cool!  Everything looks great.  My uterus is measuring at 33 weeks but that's still normal.  I was shocked when the doctor asked me if I wanted to see the baby on ultrasound.  I said yes of course and she took us into a different room.  I finally got to see a profile view of the baby (they haven't ever been able to get one before).  She is so cute.  She has distinct cheek-bones like Kezzie and sweet little ears.  She looked scrunched in there too as her knees were right up there by her chin!  We didn't get any printouts because she couldn't get it to hold a still image.  I was just glad to see her again.  I did ask the doctor jokingly if she knew anything about ventricles.  She said she didn't confidently know anything and scrolled over the top of the head.  I, of course, had no idea how to tell if the ventricles looked bigger or not, but I was certainly curious.  I guess we will just have to wait another month to find out!  God is in control, right?  I continue to go every two weeks and since my women doctor started back to work yesterday, I get to see her for the rest of my regular appointments!  Yipee!  Here are some pictures for now...

Happy Halloween!!!

Today was Halloween!!!  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
The kids and Brian and I had a really good time going out trick-or-treating.  We met up with some friends to walk around and that always makes it more fun.  It was chilly outside but very tolerable.  We went door to door for about an hour and then headed over to the church's trunk or treat.  After that we walked across the street to the nursing home where Brian's grandpa Troyna lives.  He had just gotten back from a hip repair at the hospital so we didn't get to see him.  We got home in time for the girls to have a piece of candy and then go to bed.  Austin came home from school with a couple friends and I made a couple pizzas for us all.  The boys all dug in our costume box and found some masks then went out to get some candy!  It was a great night but I don't know if Adah would agree!  She was not a fan of anything that had a mask on.  It didn't matter if it was a nice mask or not.  She was shaking and just plain terrified.  We had a stroller and she wanted in it all the time.  It made her feel secure.  Daddy started carrying her and that made her even more happy!  Kezzie is already asking me if tomorrow is Halloween again!!

Adah is 23 MONTHS!!

Look at that sweet smile!  The pictures of her in the red are when I took Keziah's month pictures (four days ago).  Adah just can't resist having her picture taken when big sis is and I can't resist using them in her month pictures!  Kezzie snuck her way into some of Adah's pictures also!  They are just so cute together!

Adah has had some problems with sleep this month.  Something in her room has scared her or so it seems.  She will lay in her bed and cry and cry until one of us comforts her.  She is definitely scared.  For four nights in a row we (mostly Brian) would go up to her room and rock her or stand holding her for a little while until she calmed down.  She would usually do fine after that and go to sleep.  But the fifth night I think both Brian and I had decided that it couldn't continue and we needed to do something about it. Aside from rocking her I tried several different things over the course of that five days...I spent time in her room with her with the door closed, looking around and talking about the different shadows, etc. I talked to her about leaving the door open and she didn't want to. I talked to her about no night light so there weren't any shadows and she didn't like that and lastly, we moved her night light to a different outlet that created less shadows.  We were spending a good half hour calming her down.  So I decided to try something that I remember worked on Keziah (you will think I am harsh) when she went through this.  I just put her to bed as lovingly as usual, when she started crying I didn't wait more then a couple minutes and then I went in there and told her in a stern voice there was nothing to cry about and that she needed to go to sleep.  She said, 'okayy' in a whiny voice, but when I closed the door again she was quiet.  It worked.  I was worried it wouldn't because Adah's personality is a lot more sensitive then Kezzie's and I didn't want to make things worse, but she was a big girl about it.  For a couple nights she still whimpered after the initial closing of her door, but I would just peek my head in and remind her that she was alright and didn't have any reason to cry.  She would sweetly respond by saying, 'okayyy'.  It was around that same time that I discovered her two bottom 2 yr. molars coming in (October 7).  I felt bad because I am sure that was part of what was going on with her when she was having trouble sleeping.  I put orajel on for a couple nights but for the most part she was done having her crying spells so I just didn't worry about it.  She is so tough!

Adah really loves her daddy!  She loves to lay in our bed with us/him and cuddle.  She will rub his head, give him kisses and scoot as close to him as she can.  She will also continually say, 'Hi dad'.  It's the sweetest thing ever and I am so glad that they share those moments!

Adah also loves to color, count as best as she can saying, 'two, two. Two, two, twee'.  She loves playing independently too.  We will often find her off somewhere with a toy, sitting on the floor with her legs out-stretched, just playing contently.  It is fun to watch her enjoy being by herself sometimes! 

Adah and Austin also have a bond.  He loves to make her laugh and teach her things.  She loves to cuddle him and watch him do things that she can learn!

Adah does seem to have sensitive skin like Keziah.  Her skin around her mouth gets very irritated and red sometimes and although she is potty trained, she still wears a diaper at nap and bed which causes some redness on her bottom too.

My baby girl isn't such a baby anymore.  She talks so well and I can easily have a conversation with her.  I am amazed at how fast time has gone this year...she will be two next month!!!

Pumkin Carving Time!!!

Tonight we carved pumpkins.  Grandma Uglum got us a couple pumpkins from her sister so we didn't have to purchase any this year!  Keziah told me exactly what she wanted it to look like, Adah colored on the other side and Austin got to have a huge one to himself.  The girls had so much fun digging into all the gooey stuff and picking out the pumpkin seeds for baking.  Our pumpkin was green and very hard to carve, almost like a gourd but it still turned out nice.  Austin picked a ghost with some bats flying overhead.  I thought he did an awesome job.  I cut the top off but otherwise he got to do everything else!  I just love this time of year!

Happy 2nd Birthday Henry!

Mat and Steph's (Brian's sister) youngest, Henry turned two today!  They were in town for the weekend so we got to celebrate with them all weekend.  It was beautiful weather while they were here so we spent some time outside too.  The pictures are pretty self explanatory...the dog is Brian's parents' golden doodle.  There are a couple of all the kids hanging out together doing different things.  The one of Brady and Adah is Adah watching over Brady's shoulder while he plays a game.  I caught her rubbing his back a few times!  I love the golf cart picture with Mat.  They did a lot of golf rides over the course of the weekend.  It was actually better they were all crammed on there because it kept them all in place and from falling out.  He took them out on the course and rode around too.  Henry really likes cookies so we had a giant cookie to share and Steph made some caramel brownies too!  Grandma Uglum bought enough balloons so that we could take a couple home but right before we were going to leave, they got loose and floated to the ceiling of their really high living room ceiling.  Bummer.  We did manage to reach one of them which will bring great entertainment in this house for at least a week!  It's hard to believe it has been two years since Henry was born!  Happy Happy Birthday Henry!  We love  you to pieces! 

Keziah is 47 MONTHS!!

My sweet Keziah!!!  What else could you expect but a lot of silly faces?!  She is a character!  She will often make Adah laugh at the dinner table with all her silliness!
Keziah has become increasingly interested in letters.  She tries to put letters together and then ask me what it spells.  After supper Austin will sometimes ask if he can have a t-r-e-a-t.  She knows what he is asking so she tries to do the same.  She has caught on to the first three letters but everything after that doesn't make sense.  I love that she is trying though.  She is so smart!  We have a workbook that we do when I think about it and she loves to identify words that start with different letters but hates to try to write her letters.  I have successfully gotten her to write A!  That is seriously as far as we've gotten. A lot of times though she will be coloring/drawing and she will bring me her paper with excitement of a letter she has written.  She's funny!
We got her a new hat and belts this month.  She is pretty happy about both!  She wears her hat everywhere but the convenience of not wearing a belt (and letting her pants fall) takes priority over the style of it.  She wore one that coordinated with every outfit for about 2 weeks and then decided it wasn't worth it!  I agreed since she is so good about taking herself potty and a belt requires help!  Keziah has gotten really good about putting her hair behind her ears by herself.  This might seem silly to take note of, but as a girl who refuses to most of the time let me put anything in her hair to keep it out of her face, this is a big deal!
At night Keziah continues to suck her paci (oh the shame) and still needs a pull up.  She will wake dry some mornings but we wouldn't want to chance going without it.  We used to wake her at night and take her potty and she would have more dry pull-ups that way but it just wasn't worth waking her and it didn't seem like it was really training her to do it herself.  She will get there on her own someday!  She also requires quite the array of animals/blankies in her bed.  She has a row of small stuffed animals that sleep head to toe in a row down the side of her bed (opposite of the wall) and then they get covered up by a blanket so they don't fall out...then she has two little square taggie blankets.  One goes under her head (it is pink/green) and the other she rubs (red/blue).  She also has a chick and a horse (both small stuffed animals) that she holds onto while she sleeps.  She has the whole corner of her bed that is against the wall covered in other animals.  I have to clean it out every so often because she sneaks other ones in there.  When we go stay other places like in a hotel or at my parents or friends, she doesn't require all of that though (thank goodness).  She is happy to have the basics: her red blankie, pink blankie, horse and chick!  Another thing Keziah requires at night is pants.  She has several nightgowns that she loves but she refuses to wear them without pants.
I love my big girl so much and can't wait to see what this next month and year are going to bring for her.  Soon she will be a big FOUR years old!!!

Fall is Here!!

October 6, 2011  A great opportunity to get some fun fall shots.  The weather was beautiful so it was a nice day to spend outside.  Who can resist these sweeties?!  Can you find them in all those leaves?

October 16, 2011  Another great day!  It was a bit more chilly but we had to get outside while we can because it's going to get a lot colder then this!  The girls were thrilled to have their big brother outside with them!  He always comes up with fun ideas!  Like this first picture...he built a nest for them all to sit in like little birds!  He also put a huge pile at the end of our slide, which the girls thought was really fun!  Austin went and got his sled out too and used it to scoop up leaves and throw them into the air.  It looked pretty cool when they were coming down around us!  What great pictures of three of my favorite people!  We are incredibly blessed!!

And fall isn't complete without a very delicious squash pie!

Amniocentisis Results!

All good news!!  The tests were all normal.  It's nothing viral and nothing genetic.  God is so good!  The lady who called did want me to be aware that there is still such a wide spectrum of things that can be wrong because of this fluid in the brain.  She wanted me to rejoice, but also wanted me to be cautious.  I am thankful for that call today.  It came almost a week early!  Praise God for that in itself!  Keep praying, please!

28 Weeks Prego!

I had my 28 week check up today.  It's pretty uneventful when you compare it to the visits I have had lately!  Doc measured my uterus and it was measuring just a little over 28 weeks.  So that means my uterus slowed down a bit as I had grown a lot the last time I was in to see the doctor.  Here is the post about that if you missed it.  I didn't gain any weight either.  The baby's heart rate was where it usually is around 150/160.  I talked to the doctor about my hands being swollen in the morning when I get up.  She said that was from my wrists being bent all night.  It's really been a problem for me in the mornings!  I wake up and my hands feel like they are going to explode!  I guess I will try to keep my wrists straight more!  I also talked to her about the symptoms of RLS (restless leg syndrome).  I guess this is pretty common in pregnancy.  It sounds like I may be dealing with this some.  I always feel like there is something crawling on my legs!  I feel like I am constantly swiping at them to get something off.  Doc said it will go away after pregnancy!  Phew! 
My two women doctors that I see, one is on maternity leave and the other is about to go on maternity leave.  I start to see the doctor every two weeks now so time should really start flying!!  However, because of this I had to schedule my next apt. with a male doctor whom I have never met. I should only have to see him once and then the one women doctor who is on maternity leave will be back!  I definitely prefer a women!!  I'm sure if I have to deliver somewhere other than here with my regular doctors, I am going to have to get over this!  We will see! 
I never do a full body shot or ones from the front so I thought I would try to get that this month too.  Keziah did a really good job taking that middle picture of me.  Although it is at an angle, I kind of like it like that!!

It's been a week now since my Mason City apt., but I just want to make note of what it was like the days following my amnio.  I just never would have imagined such after effects.  They told me to take it easy for 24 hours after I had that done, but it was more like 48 hours before I even began to feel like doing anything.  All I can figure out is that the whole time I was laying on the table for both my ultrasounds (one with the tech and one with the doc.) and then again for the amnio, I must have been incredibly tense the whole time.  I tried to conciously relax my body but the way I felt over the next 48 hours was terrible.  I was incredibly crampy and my lower abdomin muscles were super weak all the way around to my lower back.  My legs were even sore.  And my neck was sore from being turned to see the monitor.  I get that my lower abs would be a little sore from the amnio, but I never imagined it would be that bad.  I couldn't do anything.  I felt like I had a horrible flu.  I especially felt like I couldn't do anything with my lower ab muscles.  I felt like I had a c-section...OK enough complaining...did I mention how thankful I was to have my husband by my side?!!  I love that man!  God blessed me when he gave me him!

Football Season!!

Now that Austin is in 7th grade, the football season doesn't last quite as long.  He only had 5 weeks of games!  He played every Tuesday for five weeks and his team would play one of two games on that day.  I didn't even realize it until it was all over and Brian explained to me that the 7th grade is split into two teams.  Austin's team always played the second game.  They only won 2 this year, but had a really good time.  We had a rough start to the season with  Austin's Osgood/Schlatter's Disease acting up, but after a couple weeks (during practice time, before games started) rest he didn't have anymore trouble.  We actually had an apt. set for him to start physical therapy and then he was feeling much better so we canceled it!  Praise the Lord!  I was really worried he was going to have to quit.  He even said several times that he wasn't sure he was going to be able to finish out the season!  It was so much fun watching him play.  He is getting better and better.  The girls enjoy watching him too.  I just tell Kezzie what number he is and she looks for him.  She gets excited when she finds it and tries to yell for him!  The girls have caught on from the crowd to yell, 'Go Red' so they yell that quite often!  They also spend a lot of time running the stands and bugging other spectators and playing with their kids!  The weather was absolutely awesome too!  Today was his last game :(  We will miss it but look forward to basketball in the winter months!