5 weeks late

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I know I'm 5 weeks late with this post, lol, but I can only fit so much computer time into my day!



Samuel Lewis was born August 23rd and 12:35 pm
7 lbs 2 oz
20 inches

He has the most fabulous long black hair that gets really curly when it's wet. The last few weeks of August were an adventure for our family, we're all glad we survived:)


This is my last pregnant picture, taken 1 week before I was induced. I thought I might escape complications this time, but at 37 weeks all the same symptoms started. After a week and a half on bed rest, my blood pressure kept getting higher and I kept feeling worse we decided to induce again. I'll admit I wanted to try to go natural this time and not need any drugs, but I forgot how completely awful I felt at the end. I had a horrible headache, super puffy, throwing up constantly, dizzy and soo sooo tired. Like I had the energy to do any pushing, lol, I just wanted to lay down. I was already at a 4 when we went in, so it made things nice at easy. We went in around 6, took forever getting hooked up to ivs, finally broke my water and started the pitocin around 8am and had Sammy just after noon. The delivery was so easy this time, no stitches makes a huge difference in recovery. My mom took Blaz to her house to play all day, so it was just Juan and me in delivery. I don't know how people go thru all without somebody holding their hand and giving them water:)


I was really surprised at first how different they look, I was expecting him to look more like Blaz. He has the same lips, but his face is round, pointy defined chin and funny little ears. He's also darker, his tan is sticking around.


After a few hours Blaz and my family came to meet Mr. Sam. Blaz immediately said, "I want to hold him!" when we saw Sammy. In the above picture Blaz said, "Look mommy, he is a roaring lion!"

This is our first family of 4 picture. Love them!


The first day in the hospital was great, I felt great and Sam was doing well. Wednesday Juan decided to go to work for a few hours, and Blaz and my mom stayed at the hospital with us. We all felt so good we were planning to go home early...


They did a bili test on Sam and noticed it was kind of high, so they brought a light bed to our room for him to sit under for 6 or so hours before we left. They tested his bili again and it made a huge jump up, they were concerned that it was so high and still rising, so they admitted my little man to the NICU.
I pretty much hated Wednesday night. Juan took Blaz home to sleep, and I was all alone in that hospital room just missing my baby. Every few hours I would go to the NICU to nurse, it was kind of complicated with all the wires and IV. I just remember feeling really lonely and wanting to snuggle him more. His bili went up again at the next check, so they added another bili blanket under him and started running lots of tests. The pediatrician couldn't figure out why it continued to jump, but was encouraged because he looked so good and vigorous and responsive.


It was annoying being stuck in the hospital when I felt good, but I didn't want to leave w/out my baby. After I maxed-out my insurance, they let me pay $30 a night for my room so I could be near Sammy. On Thursday Juan got a job offer and Blaz got pink eye really bad. We talked on the phone that night about whether or not to accept the offer, I really missed him. It was hard walking out of the NICU and seeing my baby with all the wires and monitors. Juan visited Sam in the NICU one evening just touch him and see him, he came back w/ tears is in eyes, it was really sweet.
His numbers kept rising, but they agreed to let us go home w/ a bili blanket. Hooray!! He was really hard to get dressed, he'd been naked for days and kept balling up his arms and legs, lol.



We moved the crib to the living room and there we stayed for a week. We didn't take him anywhere except to the doctor, since he needed to be plugged in constantly. Blaz took up this perch to watch his "glow worm" baby brother.





Every morning we took him in to do another bili test, that was miserable. It stayed the same or went up a little each time. We took him off the lights and it only went of .4. That was a great day, when we could finally unplug our baby and go places. I took my boys to the park that day, me and Blaz were really sick of being cooped up all day.

Finally at his 2 week appointment Sam had gone down to 16.4, just .4 over the high risk line. Since the doctors found no cause (liver, bladder infection, etc.) they just let us go home and be normal, watching for signs that it was going to his brain.

It was a lot more drama than we were expecting, lol, but we feel very blessed and grateful. Seeing all the other tiny, sick and frail babies in the NICU made me grateful that mine was the big strong boy in the corner. Thanks for all your prayers, we are delighted w/ our new baby:)

Glad we didn't quit

Yesterday I was especially grateful we didn't quit. Sometimes things you're "supposed to do" feel really pointless and chaotic that you consider quitting, but I'm really glad we didn't. Finally, finally after a year and a half of doing it, it finally clicked.

Yes, I'm talking about Family Home Evening. For months Blaz runs around and yells, giggles, climbs all over the lesson, slams the scriptures shut, falls asleep, tries to rip the Ensign, you name it. It's not the cute family sitting in a circle like you see in pictures, lol, it was pure chaos. Our lessons were short and kind of pathetic and I felt like it was a little pointless for us to attempt with a 2 year old.

Last night made me reconsider. When I told Blaz it was Monday night he yelled "Family Evening!!" and told us where we should sit on the floor. We opened his Book of Mormon to Alma 5:40, the scripture we've been trying to memorize. He actually recited half it with us and did the actions (thumbs up for good, thumbs down for evil) and we practiced it 5 times. I can't believe my little man can memorize so well. We had a short lesson on the Holy Ghost, but he had so much fun arranging the little pieces that we couldn't really read them. We sang popcorn popping, sunbeam and I'm a child of God.

It was kind of perfect, I'm not gonna lie. I felt really grateful that my son "gets" this routine at only 2. It would be a lot harder to try and start it now, but now he already knows what to expect and loves it. So, if you aren't having family home evening, start. It's kind of fabulous when it all works. And maybe yesterday was a weird moment that only happens once every 5 years, but either way we will push through the chaos for those moments.

And since I don't want to leave you without a picture of my handsome boys - here you go! After our lesson we went to the river and fed the ducks and geese.



They were getting really close, it was really fun.

Perfect day!

Just a little May

So, I really love May. Blaz loves getting his haircut, he thinks it's all hilarious. After he likes to stand in front of the mirror and say "handsome!"


For Mother's Day Juan made dinner and it was outstanding. Grilled cajun chicken, fetteccine alfredo and lot of tomatoes. Yummy!!!


We've had enough sunshine and a little wind, so went kite flying in the church field.

Blaz thought it was all cool.

Thanks Mom for letting us steal the kite from your basement. Besides, it's not like you guys use it more than once a decade:)

Blaz loves to talk and repeat. My favorite phrase he says is "daddy fix it" if anything isn't working. He's learning the alphabet and loves to sing and recognize letters. We do lots of coloring with markers, paint, crayons and sidewalk chalk. Blaz likes to make the letter "o" for daddy, an o for mommy and an o for baby sam.
He's still Mr. Skinny and I wish he would eat more, but if he isn't hungry than what do you do. He is in the 10th percentile for weight and 70th for height. Who would have we would have a tall skinny child right? lol

It's a beautiful day, so we're going back out for more bubbles and truck driving on the patio. Cheers!

Birthday and Big News

It was a fun and full birthday week at our house. Doesn't Blaz look so grown up?


Started out with a fun ride in daddy's truck. He loves being able to see everything and the loud "vroooom" the engine makes.


The Zoo, a perfect day

He wanted a picture next to the "little horsies"


Birthday dinner at Sizzler


We blew up tons of balloons and played like crazy


Cupcakes with Woody and Buzz


A tow truck!!


He loves to drive it on the arm of the couch. It's noisy and lights up, he adores it:)

And, for the big news . ... .. it's a BOY!

We are so excited to have two little buddies:) Girls are kinda scary right?

Hello!

Yes, we are alive and well and happy! I'll admit, I got kind of frustrated when my blog got spammed in October. I shut it down for a while and I will be watching my stats closely, no crazy stuff!!

Can you believe in a few weeks Blaz will be 2? He's growing up and so much fun. Juan has been working a lot these last 2 months. He goes to work at 7am and often isn't done until after 6pm. We miss him, but our savings account was down to $12 this winter, so thank goodness for the extra work!! Juan just got released from the Young Men's 2nd counselor after 2 1/2 years, just freed up his tuesday nights! He hung a punching bag in the garage and has started making wooden toys for Blaz. I am starting to feel better and glad the morning sickness is over. Next week I'm officially halfway through, so that's good. We are really excited for a sweet new baby:)

Here is what's new with Blaz:


We moved his basketball hoop inside for the winter and he plays it ALL DAY long. He shouts "score!!!" whenever he makes it. He likes backing up and even shooting it backwards. Silly.


We raised it higher last week, he's still a really good shot!

Blaz loves to wear daddy's shoes. 2 months ago he spoke his first 3 word sentence, he came up and said "daddy shoes owie" because he'd fallen in them. Now he talks constantly and picks up a new phrase every day.


Another daddy shoes picture.

He loves to help in the kitchen. He sits on the counter or on a bar stool and he helps me stir and pour. He loves to use the electric beaters. This day we made cinnamon rolls, he liked rolling the dough around and licking the frosting.


Every day while I make lunch he likes to sit on the kitchen floor and color. He knows most of his colors (glad he isn't color-blind like Juan, but isn't it only carried through mothers?) and he loves reciting them. He tells you what he draws, usually an airplane, truck, car or lately gloves.


He's been begging to use my markers, but I've been nervous about the mess. We covered the table with paper and had a Marker Day, it was fun. We doodled for a while and he got the marker all over his hands.
Btw, this shirt is his basketball shirt, his favorite. Sometimes he cries when I put it in the washer, lol, and when he gets to pull it out of the washer he clutches it to his chest, lol.

That's what's new!!

Taller, Stronger, Smarter

We've had a few chilly days here and it's making me think of fall. I can't believe our perfect summer is almost over!!
We've done everything we've wanted to and had a blast. We've done tons of swimming and played at every park. We've been to the zoo 14 times and lots of parades.

We spent the end of July in Boise for a super fun time. I should have taken more pictures, but it was just so relaxing I forgot to grab my camera half the time. Blaz followed around his favorite person Eli the entire time. Eli could move next door to us, Blaz can't get it enough. Mike and Cindy were the perfect hosts, the food was delicious. We all floated the Boise River too, super fun. Blaz cried every time we got splashed in the rapids, but we still enjoyed it:)



The science museum was cute. Blaz enjoyed following my cousins around the most.

They have a mini grocery store. He wasn't interested in putting food in the cart and shopping, he just wanted to push the carts around. What a boy:)

They also had a pretend animal hospital. He dragged all of the big stuffed animals to the middle of the floor, then sat down on top of them. He looks so determined:)




This was a funny night. When Juan does push ups Blaz tries to get on his back. He keeps falling down and then climbing back up.
He's thinning out - can you tell? My little chunky monkey is slimming down! He's still really tall for his age, but that big ole belly has disappeared. He's such a good eater and wants to try whatever we're eating. He has yogurt every day and he loves chips and crackers. He really likes pasta and anything in a tortilla. I'm glad he's not picky. We had pasta the other night with big chunks of green pepper and onion with the meat and noodles and he just gobbled it all up.
He loves to talk, it's too cute. He says "agua" (water) when he's thirsty and points to his diaper and says "pee pee" when he needs to be changed. He gives the best hugs, he even pats your back gently while he's hugging.

I need to head to bed, but I just wanted to catch up on memories. Cheers!

A day in our LIFE

Last summer I had a little itty bitty 2 month old baby, what did I spend my days doing? I remember it seemed like he ate constantly, I wished we had ac and I read lots of books. We have been having so much fun this summer, I just don't want to forget. Anyway, I wrote down everything that happened on Wednesday, an ordinary, yet fun, day. So yeah, this is what our days are like:

9:30- Blaz wakes up. We say morning prayers, which usually consists of him jumping around the bed while I pray, then he says "amen" with me and climbs down.

Blaz runs around upstairs while I take a shower. He likes to throw toys in the water, so I ended showering with elmo's mailbox, 2 cars and a basketball. He opens Juan's sock drawer, pulls out some socks and puts them in a laundry basket. He pushes the laundry basket all around upstairs jabbering to himself while I do my hair and makeup. He's whining at my feet when I finish, so we pick out his clothes and get him dressed and handsome. After spiking his hair, we head downstairs.

We make toast for breakfast. Blaz takes an entire slice and tries to shove it in his mouth. I pull it out while he smears crumbs everywhere. It's a beautiful day outside so we get in the stroller and head around the neighborhood for a nice long walk. We see neighbors, puppies and the new graffiti on the yield sign by our house.

11:15- we get home. I set Blaz on the kitchen counter to help me make a smoothie. I put in the juice and banana and frozen mango slices. He drops in the blueberries one by one, watching them splash. We blend it, and sit on the couch sipping smoothie and flipping through a pottery barn catalog. (I flip, he crinkles the pages).

Blaz starts getting sleepy, so I take him upstairs for a nap. After 15 he is out cold, and I sneak downstairs to make lunch for Juan. I make bologna sandwiches with fritos. I make another blueberry smoothie for Juan. We eat, and about 12:45 Blaz starts yelling "maaaaa, maaaa" from upstairs. We drop Juan off at work and head downtown for some thrifty fun.

We cruise through the aisles of DI looking for some treasures. I find an Elmo book about balls, score, and an ABC monkey book each for .50 cents. No cool gadgets or crafts, but we step outside and find a little tikes slide for only $4. Blaz starts screaming with joy when I put it in the cart, it's gigantic and red and blue. We've been looking for a slide at yard sales all summer! The cashier talks to Blaz, he gets scared and almost cries. We take our treasures home.

Blaz plays in the living room with his toys while I get the chicken marinating for dinner. At about 2:30 we go outside to play with the new slide. They are building a house on the empty lot behind us and Blaz gets distracted by all the noisy trucks. We end up sitting on the porch watching the back hoe and dump truck haul dirt.

At 3:30 we pick up Juan from work. I clean the kitchen downstairs while Juan takes a shower, and Blaz plays in the water and throws his toys in. Juan fires up the grill and puts on the chicken. I'm boiling red potatoes for creamy mashed potatoes and getting the corn ready, Juan watches the grill and Blaz goes up and down the back porch stairs talking to himself and laughing.

We eat dinner, watch some netflix and play downstairs for a while. Blaz starts getting whiny, so I take him upstairs for another nap. I sew and Juan plays xbox while he naps. When he wakes it's 7pm and we head to Juan's brother's house. His parents are going to Texas for a week so we say goodbye and give them pictures of Blaz to pass around to family.

We drive to Winco to go grocery shopping. It's not too crowded, Blaz is silly in the shopping cart and throws a fit getting back in the car.

We watch another episode on Netflix, read scriptures and head to bed by 10:30.

I should have taken pictures:)