Liam // 1 M O N T H

 Our little Liam at 1 month! He was growing like a weed, (he still is, actually!) gaining weight like a champ! We had some struggles with nursing, until about 2 months, but luckily he was getting enough, and still gaining! He loved tummy time, and was pretty much pushing himself up so he could look around, from birth! This outfit was my favorite! So tiny with a little sheep on the front! Every time I put it on him I couldn't believe how tiny it/he was!!

aww, I miss how tiny he was! It's been incredible to me how fast he has grown and hanged. And how quickly he outgrew that newborn stage and became a strong, big baby!

xx,

Our Second Anniversary // S E A T T L E

Scott and I went up to Seattle again for our second anniversary! We spent the weekend with his sister, who was incredibly sweet, and watched Liam for us for a couple of hours, so that we could go out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. It was so hard to leave him, (for the first time and only time so far!) but it was also nice to get to celebrate with Scott, and spend some quality time together!

 Liam did amazing on the 4 hour drive! Luckily, he loves the carseat, and it usually just puts him right to sleep! On long car trips, I just sit in the back with him, and end up pumping and bottle feeding, so we don't really even have to stop, and it went so smoothly! He is such a little trooper!

In the Amazon Spheres

 My sister in law bought this lambskin rug for Liam and he loves playing on it! Its soft and thick, and he loves to be naked and bury his face in it. :)

xx,

pregnancy // 2018

May 27, 2018

8 weeks pregnant

 August 11

20 weeks

November 10th

32 Weeks

December 4th

35 Weeks

December 9

36 Weeks

December 25th,

8 hours old

Liam 12/24

Liam Weston

12/24/18

1:26 am

6.7 lbs

19 inches

Liam surprised us Christmas Eve, in a long, frustrating situation, that ended with our beautiful, perfect son in our arms, 2.5 weeks earlier than we ever thought he would arrive. 

Daddy holding him for the very first time, about 10 minutes after he was born. I loved the look on his face! 

At my 37 week appointment, my midwife was very concerned about a slight rise in my blood pressure, so she ordered a bunch of tests, looking for preeclampsia. Two days later, the results a little higher than she liked, so she asked us to head to the hospital to make sure everything was okay. While I was there for 6 hrs, my blood pressure was completely normal, so Scott and I decided to head home to get a good nights sleep. We met with the midwife the next day, Saturday, to check on everything, and were told that they were not going to continue care for us, and that we needed to head to the hospital immediately. So we ended up going in again to try to figure out our options. I had been planning to have a natural water birth, and wanted that calm, homelike environment that the birth center would provide. I am very uncomfortable in hospitals, and around doctors, so I wanted to avoid the hospital experience if at all possible.

Saturday evening, after sitting in labor and delivery for several hours, we met with the midwife on call, who told us that I had preeclampsia for sure, and that our only option was to induce labour immediately, and that if we didn't, we were putting my life, and the baby's, at risk. Obviously, we weren't going to risk the complications of preeclampsia, (especially after my moms experience with her last birth.) so we decided to go ahead with induction. At this point, I had been in the hospital about 12 hours total, including Friday evening, and my blood pressure had been completely normal the entire time.

It was the worst experience. I won't go into details, but I wouldn't wish it for anyone. By the time I finally transitioned into active labour, around 9:00pm Sunday evening, I hadn't slept in about 2 days, because of how uncomfortable I was being in the hospital, and the vast methods of induction.

Liam was born at 1:26am, Monday morning. (Christmas Eve.) Luckily active labour only lasted about 4 hours, and pushing about 30 min. He was born perfect and healthy, and that is what we are grateful for!!

Finally getting to hold my baby in my arms was so amazing! He was tiny, had a ton of hair, (something I really wanted!) and was perfect, with ten fingers and ten toes, and the cutest little button nose!

 Both our parents came to visit and meet their new little grandson on Christmas Eve, which was really special! We were both exhausted, so we just spent most of the day resting and getting to know our new little son.

Early on Christmas Eve, we informed the staff that we were headed home. Finally, around 10:00 we were completely discharged, and allowed to leave with our baby.

It was so wonderful to finally get home and feel like we could finally just be comfortable and just relax. I can't even describe how amazing it was just to lay in our own bed! So comfy! :)

Our experience ended up being very frustrating, and aggravating.  Everything that I had hoped to avoid, by going to a birth center, ended up happening. From certain experiences and tests, to being treated with less respect for my personal decisions, to being hassled and attacked for my informed decision on a couple of things for my son by the pediatrician on staff, who cornered me specifically to lecture me on how horrible and irresponsible a mother I was, when my husband was running home to grab a couple things. 

At my last postpartum visit with my midwifes, back at the birth center, we were informed that they had received my medical records from the hospital, and talked with the midwives there, and had found out that I didn't even have preeclampsia. The doctors/midwives had just decided to keep us, and induce labor early for their own reasons. (Most likely because hospitals don't think that midwives or birth centers are qualified to handle births, especially for people who would like to make their own researched, informed decisions about things.) Because they took the right to make those decisions away from me, and took the calm environment away that I wanted, I am still recovering emotionally. It makes me pretty angry that I was lied to, and had those rights taken away, but we are working on that! I know that the main thing is that we both ended up being healthy and safe in the long run, and I am very grateful for that! 

Liam has been the sweetest, easiest baby so far! The first couple days were a tough transition. He had a slight tongue tie, and was born almost 3 weeks early, so he had trouble latching on. (A situation made worse by nurses who were very unwilling to help with nursing, and pushed a nipple shield and spoon feeding in that crucial first 24 hrs.) We ended up using the shield for the first 5 weeks, after which one day he just decided that he didn't need it anymore, and has been a champion nurser ever since! 

He's been a great sleeper, after the first few days, where he just wanted to be held 24/7! He started sleeping 2/3 hour stretches from the beginning, and transitioned to sleeping 7-9 hour nights at 12 weeks! 

He's growing and learning things so fast its a little crazy! He started smiling around 6 weeks, giggling at 8 weeks, and rolling over at 10 weeks! We are joking that he will start crawling soon, or teething! And honestly, it wouldn't surprise us if he did! :)

He is a daddy's boy, lighting up and cooing nonstop as soon as Scott gets home from work! He loves the weekends especially, when Scott is home and Liam wakes up to play with Daddy right away! 

He loves tummy time, and looking around at everything in the house. Liam also loves to be outside, looking at trees, and cars, and all the bright colours! He absolutely loves light fixtures and lamps!! :)

We love being parents, and are enjoying watching our little guy grow and learn every day!!

xx

Lydia // smiles and manicures

I think this child becomes cuter every day. She's the most serious baby I've ever seen. Most of the time she stares around her, just observing life, so smiles and giggles are a big thing. ;) 

okay, I totally get to be the awesome big sister who does cool things like manicures on the baby. (I've been painting her toenails since she was just a couple months old.  It's harder than it sounds because, 1. her toenails are unbelievably tiny, and 2. she doesn't understand the concept of holding still. Nevertheless, the results are adorbs.)

This morning Mom propped Lydia up in the middle of her bed and started sorting though a bunch of stuff. I came into the room whilst mom's back was turned, and found Lydia destroying a pile, (and working on eating it! :) with her headband around her chin. She was convinced that she was helping. :)

L y d i a ~ J o y

whilst thinking about this post this morning my brain was spinning typically in four-million different directions. But the main thought I had was that I'm never personal on my blog. I rarely post family pictures or updates on my real life. most of my hesitancy about sharing personal thoughts and updates is that my life is so normal. I'm not an amazing writer, or photographer, I don't have my life together and picture perfect. I'm not a super fashionable person. And five-days out of seven, I'm at home doing perfectly normal things. Laundry. Cooking. Helping various littles with math. Endlessly cleaning my room and various parts of the house. My life feels (and looks) so boring when compared to the posts and pictures I see all over the blog-sphere. Okay, so I know I'm supposed to be content and not envy other people and all that jazz, and in all honesty, I'm not really sitting here in a puddle of self-pity, sobbing over the fact that my life isn't as awesome and beautiful as my favorite bloggers. 
In reality- I am lonely, and bored. But I find ways to occupy my life, and I can see beauty all around me. I've only lived here almost eight months. I don't have many friends, or activities and obligations outside of my home.  I read to occupy my time and "improve my mind.". A lot. (I've read 148 books so far this year. Only two more to complete my reading goal this year on goodreads.) I browse Pinterest and the blog-sphere. I bother my bestie with emails and phone calls. 

but you know what. I think there is a really good reason that God has chosen to keep my time free and un-engaged. (Not like getting married engaged, but obligation engaged... just so we're clear on that point. Although the other would be great. *cough* Anyway.)

One of the things I don't think I got around to sharing on here was the fact that my mom was pregnant with our twelfth (or rather fourteenth, if you include my parents) family member. After my littlest brother's birth mom thought she was completely done having children. It was a rather rough pregnancy and she was quite at peace about not having any more. And then we moved earlier this spring, and she gave away all her maternity and baby clothes and baby gear. And two weeks after moving into this house, whilst driving up our horrible, bumpy, major hill rutted, driveway, mom turned to dad and announced. "YOU HAD BETTER BE GRATEFUL THAT I WILL NEVER BE PREGNANT ON THIS DRIVEWAY." and God decided to prove that he does indeed have a sense of humor because two weeks later, lo and behold she found out she was expecting #12.

She had tons of complications this time around, with High-blood pressure and allergic reactions to all the drugs the tried to control it. And then, ten days ago she was hospitalized and diagnosed with preemclampsia (and I can't spell that word to save my life so please just read it out phonetically. ;) And, on October 29th, Lydia Joy was born, via C-section, at 31 weeks. She weighed 3'12. She is doing fabulous and one week later she is off everything: oxygen, IV's, the only thing she is still on is her feeding tube. She is going to have to spend five weeks in the hospital, but that is completely normal procedure and she's doing amazing. Mom came home on Saturday, and is still having really High-blood pressure problems and trying to deal with all that and stabilize it, but is otherwise feeling pretty good. Dad's been going into the hospital twice a day on his way to and from work to hold her and spend some time with her. And Mom got to hold her yesterday, because she was feeling a little better. 

So my life is suddenly crazy, and overwhelming. But I think I understand a little bit why I have't really found a lot to do around this area yet. ;) 
so, how has your life been these last few weeks? Are you starting to get into the holiday spirit? I'm getting excited about the holidays. Especially since my brother and his wife are coming the first week in December, (right after he officially get's out of the Army) and are planning to stay with us for a few weeks.) Two nights ago we picked names for Christmas Gifts. I'm slightly excited!

so, tell me about your life. :)