Passed Out

Recently, we've been finding Violet in a couple unusual places passed out. She apparently doesn't enjoy her bed these days!

Fish Day

A nearby town was having its annual "Fish Day" festival on Saturday and after we met Nick at the finish line from his 8K in the morning, we watched the parade and rode the carnival rides until it was time to head home for naps.

I swear he sleeps better with fire engines roaring than at home in his bed!

Meltdown at the park.

They don't seem too impressed.

"Don't even think of spinning me!"

Too late.

Holy Zucchini

Anyone have any suggestions for zucchini recipes? We have about two more dozen of these guys still in the garden!

Teddy's Birth Story

Teddy has only been with us for two weeks, but it feels like forever ago that we welcomed him into this world.

The day before Teddy was born, at my 39 week doctor appointment, I was informed I had only progressed one lousy centimeter to two. With all the pain I had been having, I was convinced I was in active labor. My doctor had recommended scheduling an induction before the holiday. But knowing that it hadn't passed my due date yet and previously thinking my due date was a little early anyways, we decided against scheduling the induction and were going to play the waiting game. That night, Nick convinced me to take a long walk even though my legs, back, and pretty much whole body ached. Sure enough, I woke up Thursday morning at around 5am with mild contractions every 15 minutes. We went about our morning as usual, taking Max to swim class, Nick off to work and a quick trip to Target. In the middle of Target at around 10:30am, I had to take a pause to breathe through a contraction. I figured if shopping couldn't distract me from the pain, it was time to head home and call in for backup. Nick came home around noon and my parents arrived by 1pm.

My last picture being pregnant. I sure won't miss that!

Over the next couple of hours, I walked around the house distracting myself through every contraction, which were about five minutes apart. I finally called my doctor (which of course happened to be her one day off of the week) and was told to head in when I felt ready. I waved the white flag to Nick after about 30 more minutes when nothing - even two screaming kids - was helping to distract the pain. 


We arrived at the hospital by 3:30pm and were taken directly to our room for check-in. After what seemed like 3,000 questions from the nurse, I was praying my difficult contractions had put me at the halfway mark. When the nurse finally examined me, I was only 4 cm dilated. I then decided that walking it out was my best option. The nurse unhooked all my monitors and I was free to roam around. I stood up and instantly felt the nausea overcome me. I laid back in bed while Nick ran out to get a snack. While alone in the room for 5 minutes, one strong contraction broke my water. I called the nurse to inform her and also to give a heads up that I would be ready for an epidural very soon! During this short time, my contractions were on top of each other and the nausea was dominating any energy I had to breathe through the pain. Not more than two minutes later, I felt a surge of pressure and yelped out loud that this baby was on its way out. With my eyes shut tight, I could feel the rush of the nurses around me, fixing the bed for delivery, prepping for the baby and calling for the doctor. Within minutes (although what seemed like an eternity), I was told to roll onto my back and push. Two short pushes later, Teddy entered the world at 4:35pm - one hour after arriving at the hospital! He weighed 7 lbs, 5 oz and measured 19 1/2" tall.

Now, at two weeks old, Teddy weighs 7 lbs, 14 oz and has grown to 21 1/2" long. He still sleeps the day away and on average gives me two hour stretches at night. Our baby came into this world very quickly and continues to warm our hearts each day. My beautiful family of 5 is now complete!

Guzzler

I learned my lesson with Violet and am starting Teddy early on the bottle. Luckily, it looks like we have plenty of helpers.

He guzzled down 4 ounces last night before bed. 

Now if only I could say it helped him sleep better!

Supersize Me

With the hot, hot temps outside and Teddy always sleeping, we've been confined to the house these days and have had to get creative with our time. Yesterday, we supersized Violet! 

Since we don't like wearing actual clothes, we drew some on her. 

A pretty hideous version, but well worth the half hour it took to make!

Teddy's First Week

In his brief moments of wakefulness, I managed to snap a few shots of Teddy wriggling around. The rest of the week have been dedicated to keeping the other two occupied and happy.

Camera shy.

Watching us prepare dinner.

He just discovered how much fun sprinklers can be.

If you hadn't noticed, our kids don't like clothes very much!

An early birthday gift. Game on!

"Choked on the open net!" (a great movie reference for those who remember)

Cousins

We were lucky enough to have my family come visit us for an impromptu 4th of July party and meet Teddy for the first time. Even though the temperature was raging, it didn't stop the kids from enjoying time outside and in the water. We managed to get a couple pictures of all the cousins together for the first time. Now all we're missing is Baby boy or girl Draper due this December!

The boys tending to their little brothers.

Violet (23 months), August (2 months), Leo (2), Max (3 1/2), Teddy (1 week)

Trying to Settle In...

Teddy before we leave for home...

 Teddy, barely fitting in this car seat...

Teddy's gift to the kids when we arrived home... "Steve" the giant bear...

 getting laid out for numerous body slams.

 The first family of 5 picture at home!

Daddy trying to keep Max and Violet out of sight and busy... focusing on Max's long snapping practice!