First Official Bath

We were so excited that Cardon's umbilical cord fell off so we could finally give him a real bath. Jer didn't let anything go unwashed and surprisingly Cardon seemed to enjoy it.



My mom said I looked like a teen mom in this picture. No wonder I get so many looks when I tote around my 3 kids!



All nice and clean and then he barfed and pooped on himself. In the bath again.

All clean and comfy after wash #2.

2 Weeks Old

Quick update and pictures for Cardon being 2 weeks old. We'll see how far I get before Cardon wakes up, I have to pick Truman up from school, or I just fall asleep while typing this.

Went to the doctor today for his 2 week check up. Everything looked great and he didn't even cry when they poked his foot and proceeded to try and squeeze blood from it for the PKU. Truman and Prentice were fascinated and felt sorry for him at the same time. The Snoopy Band-aid did seem to calm them.

Here are the stats:
Head 14.7 in. 50%
Weight 8.71lbs. 45%
Length 21.06 in. 61%

He sleeps about 3-4 hours a night.
He doesn't cry every time we take his clothes or diaper off now.
He eats about 2-3 ounces.
I pump and supplement with formula.
He follows our voice.
Seems to respond to our face and voices.
Umbilical cord came off on March 20th. Truman says dad helped it.
First bath on March 21st.
Likes to grab and hold fingers.
Usually has a good nap in morning.



He always sleeps with his hands curled up under his chin. I think he was used to being pretty squished. We have a hard time getting him to uncurl.


When did she get so big. Makes me sad.


Cardon's first smiles. I can't believe I got it on camera. He actually smiled for Prentice.



How I found Cardon when I got out of the shower. So far Prentice has played babies, Barbies, and given him Easter eggs.



Prentice reading a book to Cardon. Truman and Prentice both enjoy reading books to him while they hold him. Even if he is sound asleep to the world.


How did I get such cute kids. I just need to remember to look at this picture when I'm ready to scream at them.

Truman is such a good big brother. Do they look alike?


Prentice couldn't be a better sister. She is so good to him, and I have to say that she really does help me out with him. She entertains him and consoles him when I'm busy.

Funny picture of Cardon. Did you guess that's pee on his face. Sad that I got the camera before immediately cleaning it off. Good shot bud. At least it wasn't on me.

Cardon's First Week

I guess he's already a week and a half old, so I better get the pictures up of his first week of life. I now understand how fast the time will go, so I'm trying to enjoy more of the little moments and remember that the hard moments will not last forever (you just get different hard moments). The sleepless nights are incredibly difficult for me and it's hard to sleep even when he does because he is still so unpredictable. We have had quite a few rough nights as every newborn has as they are trying to figure out life, but last night he slept a 4 hour stretch and a 3 hour stretch. I'm not naive enough to think that this will last or is any sort of pattern, but I will take what I can get at this point. He eats about every 2-3 hours. I pump and supplement with formula. He poops and pees like a champ and seems to have figured out how to pass gas and burp pretty well. He is still a very content baby, and I can't get my hopes up because I'm too worried I will jinx it and it will change. Sorry, but I feel like I deserve a calm one...maybe one like cousin Claire:)


Here is our first family picture home from the hospital. I so didn't want to post this because of my hideousness, but I figured it is for history's sake. I have to say for all of you who are worried about my fluid filled body, I have gotten better since then. I figure that hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised when you see me after seeing this. I know...I've just had a baby, but come on.


Big brother and big sister.


Checking out baby Cardon, with hands.


Prentice loved the fact that he would grab onto her finger.


We came home from the hospital to find the house covered in hearts that had various cute messages on them for Cardon and I.


Happy St. Patrick's Day. It kind of snuck up on me so I was glad we managed to find something green for everyone to wear.

Our little St. Patrick's Day leprechaun. There are those chubby cheeks we love.

I love sleeping babies. I think I've seen this look before. Oh ya, on Jer.

And then there were 5

We are officially a family of five. My delivery was not as easy as Prentice, but not as hard as Truman. Here is the traditional picture of the belly right before leaving for the hospital at 4:45.

For all of you who haven't heard already...it's a BOY. Much to the thrill of Truman, and as Prentice has reminded us numerous times, not to her liking. She was a little sad not to have a sister, but has mauled (I mean loved) him enough already to become attached to her little brother, just like the rest of us. He was 8lbs. 5 oz. 20 inhes long. He was born at 7:07 a.m. and has a little blonde hair.

I had my third schedule cesarean section. I had my concerns about how I would handle the surgery and even though I tried to voice my concerns to the anesthesiologist right before my spinal, I had similar but worse reactions to the spinal then with Prentice. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled with what they do for me, but is it just me or do doctors have a hard time listening sometimes. I'm not a baby and I have a high pain tolerance for the most part, so please listen to me. I already have low blood pressure, and as I understand it, the spinal medicine drops my blood pressure even more, very quickly, causing vomiting, disorientation, and passing out. Then to counteract my reactions to this they give me something to elevate my blood pressure, casing the killer migraine throughout the surgery. Hence, I have a hard time even caring about the baby that I'm finally able to deliver. The anesthesiologist did come into my room after and (of course didn't really apologize) but gave a doctor's apology of "now I understand what you were saying, and yes you do have a reaction to the medicine." Yea...I know. When they got me all opened up Cardon pretty much popped out of my stomach and started to scream even before they had suctioned him. He was in there pretty tight. He cried most of the time until he got all warm and wrapped up and then he was a content little baby.

First washing. He loved having the water run over his head, but hasn't enjoyed taking his clothes off since.

What's cuter then a baby's feet.

Eshausted and not looking my best, but happy to have everything over. It took me a couple days to feel okay and by today I'm feeling great considering I've had major surgery. Off pain meds. Now just trying to get out of some minor post baby blues and get into the groove of having a newborn again. And coming to terms with my post pregnancy body.

We all think he looks just like Truman. I will have to post some baby pictures of Truman so you can see the resemblance. So far he's been my most content baby so far and I hesitate even saying this for fear it will stop, but most the time he sleeps about 3 hours at a time at night. May not seem great, but I'll take it compared to my first 2 babies. And yes, I let Jer get up and help me at night. It's bonding time after all. Don't they say to involve the dad.

Love you Cardon. We are all happy you are part of our family. And I'm thrilled not to be gigantic anymore.

Pre Baby Picture Fun

Here are some fun and silly pictures of Truman and Prentice the weekend before the baby was born. Late in posting them, but I'm sure that will be more the normal for a while now. I still wanted to post the pics though because some of them just make me laugh.

Yes...this is our son in a princess outfit.

Our very own Cruella Devil, with angry facial expressions and all.

Marshmallow rainbows, with a little sampling thorughout.

A lot of time outside on a beautiful day.

Got to love the outfit.

Last Minute Thoughts

It has finally come. Tomorrow is the big day. In a way it has flown by, and at other times I thought it would never come. I hesitated to blog about anything, because I feel like there is so much to say and not a good way to say it. I'll be honest, being pregnant is not something I enjoy most the time. I have struggled with various "issues" this pregnancy, but can I really justify complaining when I have the opportunity and joy of being able to bring a child into the world.

What I will not miss:
water retention
swollen limbs
not seeing or being able to reach anything below my belly
sore ribs
27 pounds
hardly being able to stand up
having to sleep on my left side
having people stare at my big self
not having energy to do much
fear of having a healthy baby
fear of having surgery
people telling me how big I am
grunting when trying to do the smallest tasks


What I will miss(the list will be much shorter):
feeling the baby move
my sleep-I hate middle of the night wake ups
the family dynamic we have now
having no diapers or bottles to worry about
some of my independence
being able to pick up and leave without much notice

Things I worry about with the new baby:
will the baby be healthy
will I be okay
what will my hormones and emotional level settle out to be
can I handle this
how will my kids react to all this
will Truman and Prentice feel not as important or special
can I handle not having my sleep
will this be that child that will cause me heartache or struggle to find their way
can I be the mother I want to be
how will my relationship with my kids change

Things I look forward to:
having the delivery be over
being all healed physically
getting out of the hospital
finding out the sex of the baby
hearing the baby cry for the first time
finding out the weight
having Truman and Prentice meet him/her for the first time
being mom to another amazing child
appreciating every moment and milestone
the reassurance that this little baby is a perfect fit for our family

We'll let you know how it all goes. Check back for pictures soon.

Just in Time

We said goodbye to the trusted Camry and a couple weeks later found our new...VAN. Just in time for baby number 3 to join our family.

I was pretty adamant that I wanted a van, especially with our growing family. Jer tried to talk me out of it and wanted me to explore other, cooler options. But, in the end, I ended up with my first car I picked out all on my own. Jer was actually really supportive and got me just what I asked for it. It took me a couple days to express how much I LOVE it, because I felt too guilty about the money we had to spend to get it.


For all of you van haters out there, all I can say is don't diss it til you try it. It is so nice and convenient, and oddly enough I even feel a little cool driving it. Jeremy did ask me on Sunday if he could take it to do some church things. Obviously he likes it as much as I do. The kids call it the cool car and are excited every time we get in it. Truman likes being the big boy with the back seat all to himself, and Prentice is excited to be in her big girl car seat and sitting right by the baby.


Jer even started "nesting" a little and got the infant car seat in and ready to go without me even telling him to. Now we can get the baby home from the hospital.

So, if you see Jer driving around in his sleek new silver Honda Odyssey, make sure you give him a honk and a wave because he will want to know that you saw him in it!