Gracie First Couple Weeks

Gracie came home Wednesday, July 17th around noon.  My mom had

been staying with the kids, and she left about an hour after we got home.

The best part about that first evening was when Malia came running up

as I was getting ready to feed Gracie, and stated she wanted to feed Gracie

herself.  I asked her what she would feed her: "Milk!"  I asked her where

she would get the milk: She looked at me and shyly pointed to her own

little chest.  So cute and funny!  When we told her it wasn't gonna happen

she cried and hid under the table.  Oh Malia!  Of course Riley and Malia 

both were eager to hold Gracie a LOT, and I'm glad to say that within a 

few days that wore off.  They love her!  We had several people bring 

dinner and gifts.  I have to mention Jill's pot roast that first night we came

home made me want to have a baby every year just for the pot roast!!!

Ryan and Kelsey, soon to be parents themselves in January!

Love this little baby.  Her little snuggly body....soooo cute.

We discovered the first night she does NOT appreciate
laying flat.  She has been sleeping in her carseat like in
this pic.  Hey, you do what you have to for survival!

I have a Malia and a Riley picture just like this!  

My Birthday was 5 days after Gracie was born.  Believe it or not,
Ben and I actually got to go out on a fun date.  We took Gracie with
us while family watched the other kidlets, and we saw a movie and
went out to eat.  Then that evening Ben made me a cake and we hung
out with our THREE kids.  

Poor baby!  But this is why you have kids....for entertainment!

I love my beautiful girls!  Truly, Malia's little face melts my heart.

Sucking on my face...one of the best parts of having a newborn
is that they constantly are thinking about food and thinking anything
near their face must be food, and attacking it!

She's still thinking about food...I just know it.

Awwww....baby feet :)

Here she is thinking about food again.

I love this.  They are so cute together.  Ben REALLY likes Gracie :)

In order to avoid me getting cabin fever and feeling down, we
have been trying to get out a lot.  It is so nice in the evenings
this time of year.  Here the kids are playing at the reservoir.

Me and little turkey #3

Love this guy!!!!

Her little profile is so sweet.  She reminds me so much of
Riley and Malia when they were newborns.  

Major milk mustache going on.  Thankfully this little girl is okay
with taking a bottle as well as nursing.  Actually, I think she may
be starting to prefer the bottle.  We'll see what happens.

I love my little Riley.  He has a very special place in my heart.
It's hard to explain.....

Post shower hair explosion!

Hi everyone!

Gracie

Well, Gracie finally arrived!  Actually she was 5 days early thanks to modern

medicine...I was induced on July 15.  Ben and I arrived at the hospital at 6am

and checked in through the emergency room and went on up to L & D.  It was 

very surreal, just knowing this is the day we'd been waiting for.  I remember being

in the bathroom, putting the gown on the nurse had given me, and thinking "Wow 

this is really happening!"  I wanted to really enjoy and remember ever moment 

because I have been sad that I have forgotten so much of Riley and Malia's births.

So the nurse couldn't get the IV after two tries, so we had to wait for a different 

nurse to be able to come try.  I was really happy for the delay....I didn't want it

to all happen too fast.  The Pitocin got started around 7:30, and contractions 

gradually got a little more painful.  But then Dr. Skinner came in and broke my 

water and almost right away the contractions became intense...just the same type

of pain as with the last two babies.  So by the time I got my epidural, I was having

some pretty decent pain but I am actually glad I got to experience that part of labor

for a little while...it's all part of the experience.  Then things settled down, Ben was 

brought a breakfast tray (and later a lunch tray) so he was well taken care of.  I of

course couldn't eat and was told I could only have ice chips, but.....I stole some

sips of Diet Coke :)  My mom showed up, and for about 4 hours we all just chilled

and I was sooooooo relaxed and comfortable, THANK YOU epidural.  I don't 

remember feeling this euphoric with the last epidurals.  About 1:30 pm Dr. Warner

came in and they got all set up for the delivery.  Two contractions and Gracie was 

out!!!  She cried a little right away, and then was quiet and very alert for a while.

Ben cut the cord, and Gracie was handed to me for a couple minutes which was

cool since with the other two I didn't get to hold them right away.  She was then

taken to the warmer and cleaned up, measured, etc.  My Mom did a great job at

videoing the delivery and I am so glad we have that memory on video!  Very special!

Here she is...minutes old!  

I love this picture.  Ben was pretty teary-eyed.  I was so much
more emotional this time around....I'm not sure why.  It was
happy emotional!  It was such a perfect day and delivery. 

This was before delivery.  I was so happy to have my mom there!
Three kids....here we go!!!!  Aaaaaaahhhh!

End of June/Early July 2013

We went to a "fun" center in Sandy, and I'd had about

all the "fun" I could stand that day before we even got there. 

It had been Ben's nephew Tyrel's luncheon earlier and we

were dying of heat!  So we thought we'd kill some time afterwards

 at this fun center and get relief from the heat......except it was

sadly under-air conditioned, and no comfortable seating

for certain big fat pregnant ladies!  Anyways, it's about 

the kids having fun, and they did.  But I will never forget

watching Ben and the kids on the SLOWEST bumper

cars with the weirdest music playing in the background.  It

felt like watching senior citizen style bumper cars!  Made me 

glad that Ben is the designated person to go on these 

lame little rides with the kids ;)

A little friendly game of air hockey.

The ride home after Tyrel and Katie's reception was a hoot
because the kids had the giggles BAD!  And Malia kept saying
"Oh, I gotta go potty soooo bad!"  So we kept teasing her about
not peeing in her car seat.  It was a funny joke until...........

...........we were in the parking lot at Smith's waiting for Ben to
run in and grab something, when Malia said "Hey! Why is my
seat wet?"  Riley and I laughed and thought it was a funny coincidence
that she had spilled a little water and we had been teasing her about
peeing her pants.  Except......she actually HAD pee'd in her seat I
soon discovered!  I wonder if she was really as surprised as we
were or if she was even aware as she was peeing her seat on the
way home!  They were laughing pretty hard, so I can see how it
could happen.  After all, I pee my pants all the time these days.

We had a tinfoil dinner cookout up the canyon with a bunch of
friends from the neighborhood.  These are just the girls.  There were
LOTS of kids running around, and of course all the manly men.  We
have a lot of great people in our neighborhood.  Why are the two
very pregnant girls in the front?  Oh yeah, I remember....we were
too lazy to get out of our chairs.

Not sure why I am including this picture, since I already took
a similar picture to document the enormity of my body (see last post).
 But I liked this shirt.  I don't know now though looking at it.....ruffles on a
 pregnant belly.  Maybe that's actually a fashion no no.

I am not the only one losing my mind!  I told Riley to put his dirty
socks in the laundry, and he went and tossed them in the toilet!  Whaaa?

Poor Malia....we made her pose in front of the huge mess she made,
and she was still tearful about it.  She spilled a whole bowl of
watermelon on the carpet.  Yes we were upset, but she's so cute
when she's in trouble and get's teary.  But man she is clumsy!

I feel like I've been such a crappy mom lately.  It's been sooo hot
and I am sooo pregnant.  I'm snappy at the kids at times, even the
unborn one :)  So I thought I'd be cool and set up the tent for them.
It lived in our living room for about a week, and was filled full of
every stuffed animal the kids own, plus blankets and pillows.  They
slept in it a few times, and this picture was taken one morning at
about 11am (lazy!).  You can see Riley's head on the left under the
green sleeping bag, and Malia's on the right in her striped PJ's.

Ben has been so great at taking the kids places even when I don't
feel up to it and stay home.  This is the fourth of July parade in
Moroni.  Ben says it was nice overcast weather, but it really
heated up later afterwards, which makes me glad I made the choice
to stay home and relax with my AC on!  I'm scared for the electric bill.

I came down around 7 and we BBQ'd at Roger and Marianne's
before heading up to the ball field to hang out and watch fireworks.

This is a very unattractive picture of me, but it's the only one we have
of our time at the ball field waiting for the fireworks.  It's always my
favorite part of the 4th...after the sun goes down, hanging out on the
grass, people watching and letting the kids run around.  Kelsey and
little Ben and Sam sat with us.  And in the background of the picture
are Dave and Raquel's family.  In front of the guy in the dark shirt (up on his
elbow) was Ben's cousin Cassidy (spooning with boy in dark shirt).
Malia wanted to be a part of their twosome, and watched the whole
firework show spooning with Cassidy, while Cassidy spooned with her
boyfriend.  It was kind of cute :)  And so romantic for all involved, I'm sure!