Three Weeks

Russell is three weeks old! It feels like he has been here longer than that at the same time that I can't believe it has been that long. He's a big boy who is growing well. He weighed 9 lbs 6 oz. at his two week checkup. And I have to say (much to the chagrin of mothers who have higher maintenance babies: Mandy, Melissa) that he is such a good baby! He hardly ever cries (just when I pick his nose), he puts himself to sleep at night, and he nurses well. What more could I ask for? Lydia is a really good girl too. She usually plays by herself and lets me nurse and hasn't acted out too much since her brother arrived. Why do I have such easy going kids? I don't know. Maybe Heavenly Father knows I couldn't handle anything else. And believe me, I'm knocking on wood really hard right now just so I don't jinx myself by typing this outloud.


I'm doing well too. I've had a few glitches like a case of mastitis, but things seem to be balancing out a little. And though I'm tired of being tired, I still have a lot more energy than I did when I was pregnant or than I did when Lydia was a newborn. I am looking forward to Christmas time though because I figure Russell will be sleeping through the night by then. Even just six hours in a row would feel miraculous right now. I get two hour naps all through the night and hardly a minute more. I have been lucky in getting the kids to sleep at the same time during the day so I get an afternoon nap. All in all, we're holding our own.

This morning I had a good chuckle. I had just finished nursing the baby and when I looked up, I noticed Lydia in the rocking chair with her shirt up and her teddy bear snuggled into her bare belly. I had to laugh at her attempts at "nursing" her bear. Hilarious.

Cheaters Prosper: A Family of Four

We are a family of four now! Russell Morgan arrived on the 8th. I did cheat to get him here though. My good friend Mandy and I always talked about how we thought using less medical intervention was best when bringing babies into the world. Well, she delivered her little bundle of joy at home with no help (literally, her husband delivered the baby). And well, I joined the leagues of Utah women who were, dare I say, induced! My reasons for going that route were that I was 40 weeks, I was enormously uncomfortable (I could barely walk the last two days), and I didn't want him to come on 9/11 or on Chad's birthday, and I didn't want to deliver a 9 lb baby.

So into the hospital we went. Our nurse starting working on me about noon. At 12:30 the doctor started the pitocin and broke my water. I started contractions at 1:00 and within half hour was about to the breaking point with pain. Luckily the anethesiologist came in and got me my epidural by 2:00. Even he said that my contractions were "humongous" so I didn't feel like too big of a wimp. My epidural didn't work at first though so he dosed me up again about 3:00. Fifteen minutes later the nurse checked me and the baby's head was ready. We waited for another fifteen for the doc and Russell came barreling out at 3:37. So you can see that I cheated in every way possible. I only suffered for one hour and then took every convenience modern medicine could provide. And I don't regret a bit of it. I thought Lydia was an easy delivery, but this guy was ridiculously easy and fast. Yea for me.

Now, I told everyone that I felt enormous, that I knew my baby would be big. Keep in mind that Lydia was only 6 lbs 15 oz when she was born. So will you all believe me when I tell you Russell was 8 lbs 8 oz?


Lydia with her new brother just a few hours after his birth.

Our precious baby. We're doing well. We're conquering nursing with a vengeance. For any of you that remember the absolute torture I went through trying to nurse Lydia you can give me a victory shout because we are doing much better with this guy. I'm recovering well and even faster than I did with Lydia. Russell doesn't have a schedule yet, but I think we'll do just fine. He woke up every three hours last night, but that was a major improvement on the night before. Hopefully it only gets better from here. I can tell you it is so weird to have him here. It's amazing how his presence has already changed the chemistry in our family. I can't help but look at Lydia and feel that she is so much older than she seemed only a week ago. She's been really good about the baby so far. I'm worried about how she'll be when I'm the only adult here to meet her needs though. So far Chad's been around a lot and a few grandmas pop in once in awhile too. Only time will tell. I can say that Monday is looking a little scary because it looks like it's the day that I'll have to do it on my own.

We are so blessed though. A family of four. I can hardly believe it!

Lydia at Kelsey's Wedding

Quite the Musician!

Lydia and Daddy

All the Girls. Yes, Lydia wants none of it!

Lydia's Last Solo

So we're five days away from baby number 2. In a way I can't believe he isn't here yet. In another, I'm glad I get to savor my last days with just Lydia. I can wake up to her calls of "Mommy!" in the morning after a full nights' rest and anticipate her meeting me with a big smile when I go in her room. Going to get her from her crib has always been a good part of my day because she wakes so happily. I"ll miss running out the door with just a sippy and a snack in my purse with Lydia happily in tow. I'll miss just chillin' in the rocking chair together after her afternoon nap. The other day we were doing that and she fell back asleep curled around my baby bump. It was so cute and I took in the moment. She didn't even mind when her little brother gave her a few good kicks. I'll miss that when the new baby takes over both of our worlds.


In another way, I also feel bad for Lydia. She isn't quite old enough to get that a baby is coming. I'm afraid she is going to get blind-sided with her new brother. And it doesn't help that she has been the most ridiculous mama's girl lately. As much as Chad tries to help, she just won't let him do much. She wants mommy to change her, put her to bed, comfort her when she falls and just about everything else. I'm glad she loves me, but....


She does love babies so I hope she loves her new baby brother. I hope I can find the balance I'll need to be a good mom to two kids. I hope I can hold my impatience in check and be more loving than frustrated.

And while I worry about all this, we've tried to make Lydia's last week as an only child a good one. We've been to two different playgrounds, gone on walks, and tomorrow we're going swimming. She gets to spend the weekend with her Grandparents and cousins as we attend Chad's sister's wedding. I hope she feels loved.


Because she so is! How can you not love this girl? She does so many cute things and for the most part is a happy girl, as you can see in the pictures. She's been such a blessing! We love you, Lydia!!