Summer Trip

We went on a long trip for the first half of July that I still haven't gotten around to writing about! (Mostly because almost as soon as we got home, we all got super sick one after another and MAN that sure wasn't fun! But that's a different post.) Anyway, several months ago Michael decided he wanted to compete in his first jiu jitsu tournament in Vegas this summer. We decided that the whole family should go so we could see our family there. Michael then proposed that he use a good chunk of his time off work and we go to LA first to make sure we got in a beach vacation/Grandma and Papa time this summer as well. We could then go from there to Vegas. I was, of course, super excited about that idea. Finally July came and off we went!

Don't let this picture fool you too much. Overall, Joshua was a champ for most of the trip... but when he was mad, (mostly when he was sick of the car) boy could that kid scream! Ha.

By the way, putting a DVD player in our van was the smartest move ever. I have zero problem with just putting on movies the whole time during road trips because it keeps Matthew and Kate totally content. They were so good!

We got to LA at night (we'd left after Michael had worked until about 2pm) and the kids wanted to stay up and play with Grandma and Papa but we eventually got them down with promises of going to the beach the next day.

THE BEACH! Seriously heaven for this Arizona family. We were in LA a full week and I still didn't feel like I got enough beach time. If you live somewhere with tolerable weather in the summer, don't take it for granted. (I do NOT take for granted our beautiful winters!) Matthew was my little beach bum this year. Last summer he was beyond terrified to even put his toes in the water, but this year he did it without any problems. However, his very favorite thing was digging holes and just playing in the sand. It made my California roots so happy to see him enjoying the beach so much. Kate had fun when she wasn't throwing a fit (she decided to enter the terrible two's full-blown during this trip, eek) but was slightly more scared of the water. Whatever, she'll come around eventually. :-) Joshua was pretty much too young to enjoy the beach much, though it WAS nice to be able to take him outside again. As a newborn, I would put him in the Baby Bjorn and take the kids to the park and Joshua would sleep SO well that way... I had really missed being able to get that kid some fresh air.

 

We ended up being in CA for the Fourth of July, which I was excited about because I got to take my family to do a few of my old Fourth of July traditions. First we went to the annual Fourth of July breakfast put on by the Manhattan Beach Ward. Not only was the food actually DELICIOUS, (and there was tons of it) but they also had lots of entertainment for the kids. Kate participated in the three-legged race with Grandma (Grandma is a great sport!) and Matthew did the potato sack race. (So funny.) PLUS my friend Krista (who I grew up with) was also there visiting her family so it was super great to be able to catch up with her.

We then went to a friend's pool, BBQ'd some yummy burgers, and then we were off to the fireworks! We went early to get a good spot and to just hang out for a bit and have snacks and play games.

Goin on a lion hunt!  :-)

When the fireworks started, Matthew loved every second. He basically burst out into applause after every firework. Kate was beyond terrified. The second the lights went out, she completely flipped her lid, ran to Papa, and cried on his lap the.whole.time. Sheesh. Poor Papa. ;-) Maybe next year Kate will actually see a firework or two? Ha. Joshua did fine. Too young to care (or be scared) I guess. 

On Sunday we took the older two kids to the LA temple to show them where our family started. (Joshua stayed with Grandma and Papa.) The Visitors Center there is super cool but we didn't stay there long because the kids were being a little less than reverent. :-)

Our last few days there were spent at the beach, (duh!) including the Roundhouse on the end of the Manhattan Beach pier so the kids could check out the aquarium, the park, (too hot for that in Phoenix) and just hanging out.

Anderson Park. I grew up going here, though they've redone it recently and it is now way cooler than it was when I was a kid. Haha.

Outside of the Roundhouse Aquarium

I love this pic of Joshua and my dad. He looks like such a funny goober! (Joshua, not my dad.) ;-)

It was hard to go but we were excited for Vegas and to see more family. We stayed with my Winder grandparents and they are such great hosts. We visited my aunt Kami and she let us swim in her pool. It was also great to see Gary and Michelle as well as my Hales grandparents. I am so fortunate that all of my grandparents are still alive. I wish I had gotten more pictures of my kids with them, though I love this one of Joshua and my grandma-

Matthew actually started acting really sick and lethargic while we were in Vegas and it continued for a few weeks AFTER we got home. Yeah, not good. But he was a huge trooper and was still pretty happy most of the time since he was surrounded by so many fun people and activities.

And then! Finally - the whole reason we'd gone on this whole trip in the first place - Michael's jiu jitsu tournament! It was at the Sans Expo. A huge downside of having the tournament at the end of our trip was that Michael had to be a certain weight in order to compete and he wasn't able to eat the way most people prefer to eat on vacation. ;-) He had to lose about 10 pounds before his match and KEEP IT OFF so as not to be disqualified. Luckily he came in a pound or two under so there were no problems there. I left Kate with my Grandma because I knew it would be long and that she wouldn't be interested anyway, but Joshua and Matthew came. Grandma Kathy and Don also came and she helped out a lot with watching Matthew. Michael would have his first match and then if he won that one, he'd roll again for the title. Well, it was SO MUCH harder to watch that I thought. I think my heart was pounding out of my chest the whole five minutes of the first match! Michael and his competitor were pretty evenly matched and a couple of times it looked like Michael might lose. But he pulled though and WON! Woohoo! His second match was actually a little easier for him and therefore, easier to watch as well. ;-) He won that too and took Gold for his division. I was so proud!

Our last day in Vegas was spent mostly with Grandma Kathy. We visited the Bellagio Garden and got to see it decked out in one of the coolest themes I've ever seen there - Under The Sea! There were treasure chests (which Matthew loved) and mermaids (which Kate loved) and it was just really well done.

We also went to lunch and spent some time at Kathy's house. It was fun to get to be with her in Vegas, since most of the time we see her, it's in Phoenix.

And that was our trip! So much fun!!!

Matthew-isms

(After finishing a dinner that I cooked) - "Mom! I'm all done! And I didn't puke!"

"Mom, I'm going to be 4 in August. Does that break your heart?"

(After saying the prayer) "I said a family home blessing."

(Michael walks in from work and gives me a kiss)  "HEY! That's MY woman!"

Me: "Matthew, you're so smart, and handsome too."
Matthew: "AND I'm cool too!"

(While outside in the rain, he got cold)
"My teeth are shaking. I need to come inside and get cozy."

(We were at the grocery store and passed by a display of Oreos)
"Mom, we should buy some Oreos."
"Not this time buddy."
"Because they're disgusting?"
"No, they're good."
"Because they're boring?"
"Ha, no."
"Because they're dangerous?"
"Um, no."
"Then we should buy some Oreos."

"Mom, you're so pretty. Can I have some fruit snacks?"

"I don't want any salad. Salad will make me die."

Girls Weekend 2015

Over Mother's Day weekend my mom threw her annual Girls Weekend. This year the theme was "Arabian Nights." And holy cow, check out the decor:

And that is not even close to all of it! (But the tent is definitely my favorite part! And the treats. Obviously.)

Anyway, Joshua got to go this year because he's so little. His first and last time at Girls Weekend. :-) It was also his first flight and at just over 2 months old and as a pretty bad napper, I was a little nervous about it. But he did great! The airplane actually seemed to soothe him and even though he was awake for a lot of the actual flight, he was a champ and barely fussed at all!

The whole weekend was full of fun activities like shopping, good food, belly dancing lessons, and a boat ride in Long Beach. Joshua's favorite place to nap is on my chest in the baby carrier, and since he spent a lot of time there, he had a good weekend. He also had plenty of people to love on him! :-) I love these ladies! Girls Weekend always goes by way too fast!

While me and Joshua were partyin' in CA, Grandma Kathy came to AZ to hang out with Michael and Matthew and Kate and they had a blast too. They ate lots of pizza, ;-) went to the Wild Animal Park, and went to a baseball game. Pretty sure the kids barely noticed I was gone. Haha.

Until next year!

Rambling About Life With 3

Whew! These last 7 weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind! I remember feeling similarly after Kate was born, and I know from that experience that it's hard to notice during all the craziness that life DOES slowly get easier..... I just sort of notice several months later that- oh hey, life IS slightly calmer than it was several months ago, so maybe I AM making it through this storm. ;-) I imagine it'll be a similar experience this time.

I get asked all the time how life with 3 is and I pretty much always say the same thing - "It's good! Hard for sure, but then again, two was hard, and heck, one kid was hard too!" I really feel that way. Matthew as a baby was extremely NOT independent, barely slept for his first few months of life, and I was just figuring out the whole motherhood thing. If anyone thinks becoming a parent is easy, well, they were either given the easiest kid in the whole universe or they are my new hero. When Kate came along I suddenly had to figure out how to give two SMALL kids the time and attention they wanted/needed without feeling guilty. I remember feeling guilty a LOT because I constantly felt like one or the other wasn't getting enough time from me. Eventually that got a lot better, and then Joshua came along. Right before he was born me and the other two had a great system going... we were out ALL the time and I finally felt like they were at an age where they were interested in the same things which made our activities (and their time playing together) much easier. With a new baby, things are just harder. Nursing and napping and fussiness can really put a damper on our days sometimes. BUT! I have never been more grateful that I had Matthew and Kate so close together. There are for sure downsides to having two so close in age, and it is definitely not for everyone, but I think the absolute biggest upside for me has been that they have each other at this time in life when a new baby was added to the family. Neither one has acted out (well, more than usual, ha) or had a hard time adjusting at ALL and I attribute that largely to the fact that they have each other. They are best friends and worst enemies ;-) and partners in crime. I really am so grateful for their relationship, and that they've been such champs these last couple months.

And I hope I didn't make it seem like Joshua is the hardest baby that ever lived. He definitely isn't. He DOES cry a lot some days and often has a hard time with naps, but he eats well and usually does pretty darn well at night. I'll take it.

Even though the days can be challenging, I read a bit of parenting advice that I loved. It basically said to celebrate the small victories. So I do. I have been able to get out with the kids, even for a short walk, almost every day since Joshua was about 2 weeks old. And even now, with Joshua being 7 weeks old, I still high five myself every time. ;-) Maybe that's sad, but they, it can be hard sometimes to get out the door. :-) Some days we even get out for a majority of the morning and I try to focus on that rather than the DISASTER my house almost inevitably will be that day. Or I'll celebrate that I taught Kate what all her fingers are called and Matthew how to read some new words rather than the fact that they ate basically nothing but crackers all day. I can't win them all, but I can at least win some, and for now, that's good enough for me.

I am sleepy and SO behind on so many things, but I am no fool as to how lucky and blessed I am. And for every frustrating and I'm-feeling-like-the-worst-mom-ever moment, there is a "Motherhood basically rocks" moment, or if I'm lucky, (and I often am!) several of them. And I'm sure I'll miss these crazy days.... though let's be honest, life really doesn't ever get less crazy... the crazy just changes. So let's just say I'll miss THIS crazy, and these crazies at this age.

P.S. Big shoutout to Michael who has taken on even more around here since Joshua was born and brings me back to sanity daily. He is the best. ;-)

Joshua Thomas Byram

Baby Joshua is here! He was born on 3/4/15 at 1:34 am. He weighed 7 lbs, 5 oz and was 19 inches long.

I figured it was time to get his birth story written down before I forget anything. On Monday, March 2nd, I woke up feeling horrible. I'd had really sporadic and annoying contractions during the night so I was already pretty tired from the moment I got up. I was also WAY more achy than normal and kept having irritating (but not quite painful) contractions. They didn't feel like TRUE contractions, but they were enough to keep me paying attention and not wanting to leave home much. Needless to say, I didn't get much done that day and we ended up eating out for dinner - we actually ate at The Cheesecake Factory because we had a gift card there and we all had a great time. (And a super yummy dinner!)  :-)  I remember telling friends and family that there was no way I wasn't going to go into labor within the next few days with the way I was feeling. I continued to have several contractions that evening and I paid close attention to them though I also really hoped I WOULDN'T go into labor just yet, as I was exhausted from the long night and day.

I got my wish because on Tuesday, March 3rd, I woke up feeling GREAT! Once I'd fallen asleep the night before, I'd slept really well and I was no longer having any contractions. I was pretty relieved that I was feeling better. The thought, "... the calm before the storm...." actually crossed my mind for a split second but I pushed it out quickly and got ready for the day. I was exactly 39 weeks along. I had a doctor's appointment that morning and was told that I was dilated to a 3. The doctor also stripped my membranes and told me that if that was going to work, I'd go into labor in the next 48 hours. Well, when I'd had my membranes stripped with Kate I went into labor about 12 hours later so I kept in mind that it could be Go Time very soon and decided to try to be super productive that day, especially since I was feeling good.

Even though stripping my membranes had made me slightly more uncomfortable, I still felt decent so I took the kids to the store and let them look at toys and bought some groceries. Then I cleaned up the house a little and made sure I had a hospital bag packed. Then we all went to Costco in the afternoon! Oh how we all love Costco. :-) We roamed every aisle and if there was anything I wanted to buy (a case of water bottles, a huge box of diapers, etc) Michael would tell me that I had to lift it into the cart by myself and then he'd watch, quite amused as his extremely pregnant wife struggled to do so. Ha! He was trying very hard to put me into labor because for the next few days he was going to be between jobs and it was a pretty dang convenient time to have a baby. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that he looked like a huge punk to any onlookers for making his pregnant wife to do all the heavy lifting. ;-) After walking, walking, and more walking, we eventually bought our stuff and then ate a nice Costco pizza and hot dogs meal for dinner since we couldn't resist feeding the family for about 6 bucks. We came home, took it easy, and then put the kids down early since they hadn't napped at all that day.

I'm not exactly sure when the contractions started, but I remember starting to actually wonder about them around 9:45 p.m. They weren't painful and they were very infrequent, but I remember saying to Michael, "I've had a few contractions that actually feel like real labor contractions." By this time I was really tired and ready for bed so I sort of hoped that they weren't real and got ready for bed. I actually started to drift off to sleep but was woken up TWICE by these contractions. That made me nervous. If they were uncomfortable enough to wake me up, I should probably pay attention... so I sat up, annoyed. Michael was still up and started to say the time out loud when I had a contraction. They were getting stronger and closer together, and they were beginning to hurt a little. I started to worry. It is no secret that I think that labor is really horrifying and just awful. I didn't feel ready to go through it again... and I was kind of upset that if this was real labor, I'd be 3 for 3 for going into labor when I was trying to go to bed. (That is seriously incredibly annoying.) When I started breathing heavy through contractions Michael waited until one was over and then gave me a blessing. I was really grateful to get that right before everything went down. And then he told me to make sure that all our bags were ready. I told him to text our friends down the street and let them know that we'd probably be bringing our kids over if that was okay. Big shout out to the Ferguson's for taking our kids at a very inconvenient time and watching them overnight. They are awesome!

We dropped our kids off just before midnight and off to the hospital we went! I am so grateful that we live so close to the hospital - it is literally five minutes away. As we were driving there, it seemed like my contractions had stopped. I said, "Oh my gosh, if we go through all this and even dropped off our kids for false labor I am going to feel terrible...." but then another contraction hit and I had to tell Michael to hit the dang gas pedal already! Haha. Anyway, at Mercy Gilbert you're supposed to check in through the ER and then they'll take you to triage and THEN you'll get admitted to Labor and Delivery. (In case you never read Kate's birth story, triage is NOT my friend.) When we walked into the ER I basically came in with two other pregnant women in labor! Sheesh. There were jokes made about it being a full moon and how there were lots of pregnant women coming in. This was definitely not funny OR happy news to me - my labors are fast and the idea of super busy nurses and crowded beds and rooms doesn't go together well with women who have fast labors. We sat for a few minutes and finally a nurse came down and had our husbands wheel us all upstairs to triage. My contractions were really hurting me and the other two women were clearly not in as much pain as I was so I was first in getting dressed and into a bed. Michael and I told our nurse pretty quickly how fast my labors are and I could tell she was kinda like, "Yeah okay, whatever." I was pretty annoyed. We both asked her if I could immediately get my labs done and IV going because I was definitely GOING to be admitted sooner rather than later and I really really wanted an epidural as soon as humanly possible and she was pretty much like, "Nope, those don't happen until you've made significant progress and we know that you will for sure be admitted." HAVE I EVER MENTIONED THAT I HATE TRIAGE!? UGH! She checked me and I already knew she was going to say I was something lower than a 5. My body seems to take a while to catch up with what's actually going on. Sounds crazy but it's true. Sure enough, she said I was a 4 and that I'd have to be at least a 5 before they'd admit me, especially because it was so busy. She made a joke about the full moon and since I wasn't fond of her and was in plenty of pain already, I didn't find it funny at all. She told me that maybe I should get up and walk to help things progress and that she'd check me in an hour. HAHAHAHA. Michael said exactly what I was thinking.... "We're going to have a baby in an hour." I could tell she wanted to roll her eyes and didn't believe us at all. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! This is my third baby! Why does no one listen to us!? (For the record, I was definitely holding Joshua in my arms an hour later.) She left to check on some other women and I tried so hard to stay calm. So far, even though my contractions were beyond horrible, I had stayed calm. I knew that as soon as I allowed myself to start losing control, that was it and I'd be a panicky wreck for the rest of my labor and delivery.

Michael took this relatively soon after we arrived. I can tell because I'm having a contraction but I look pretty calm and haven't even broken a sweat yet. Also, I'm pretty sure Michael would never have dared to take a picture had I been much farther along.... which is smart. ;-)

The nurse came back about 5 or 10 minutes later and checked me again. She said I was still a 4. If I hadn't been ready to kill, I would've just laughed. This was way too similar to my experience with Kate. As my contractions got to the point of me not being able to stay in control, I started to know that there was no way an epidural was happening. All my fears were coming true. :-( The nurse also told me that she'd made a call to the doctor to let her know that I wanted an IV and the doctor had said no. Of course. Michael, forever my hero, said something sarcastic like, "Oh yeah, we wouldn't want her to overdose on saline now would we???" Hahaha. Harsh, but he was right. Hospital rules are so dumb sometimes. After she left I started racking my brain for all the advice about natural childbirth that I'd hoped I'd never have to use. I thought about changing positions, as I've heard that laying down on your back is pretty much the WORST position you can be in. I was already in way too much pain to stand, and walking was absolutely out of the question, but I tried getting on all fours for the next contraction. It was just as horrible. Actually, it was worse. I was progressing so so fast and knew that losing control was on the horizon. Haha. But really though. I was already whimpering and practically hyperventilating through contractions. I was sweating and had to have Michael give me water every minute or so. A couple more contractions and I started getting loud. The nurse came back, checked me, and said, "I can stretch you to a 5." Sigh. I was being admitted but I knew it was too late. She went to get something and during the next contraction my water broke. I said, "Water's breaking water's breaking water's breaking....!" and she came back and checked and just said, "Yep!" Michael was like, "Can we get that epidural going???" and Michael said that apparently the look on her face said it all - she knew I wasn't getting one. I think that that was the last time an epidural was mentioned. RIP epidural.

She gave me my IV and and started moving fast. Finally! I think when she'd checked my water she'd seen something that had made her finally realize that this was no joke and delivery was very close. Or maybe she just finally started taking us seriously. I don't know. I knew from my last experience that once my water had broken, I'd be a 10 in no time at all and that contractions were about to get REAL! ;-) Sure enough, my next one pushed me over the edge. I was yelling as they wheeled me on my bed out of triage (those poor other women who probably thought I was about to die) and down the hall. There were several nurses and the doctor waiting for me in the room, rushing around trying to get everything ready. There seemed to be no break between contractions and I was more than ready to just get this all over with!! They told me to get on the bed I was to deliver on and the same nurse checked me again. She looked at me and said, "You're gonna hate me." For a split second I actually thought she was going to tell me I was a 5. Haha! Not so much. Instead she said, "You're like a 9+." I knew that already since during my last contraction I had the desire to push. (And actually, had pushed a little.) I heard her tell the doctor that the last time she'd checked me I had been a 5 and it was only a few minutes ago. She said it a little defensively, and I would've had more sympathy for her if I hadn't been telling her from the second I'd arrived that I would be going fast. Ugh. As the doctor was getting into position and telling me that I could push with the next contraction, some lady came up to me with a needle and some vials and asked to do my labs. At first I thought that she MUST be kidding. She wasn't. I was like, "Um, CAN YOU PLEASE WAIT JUST A MINUTE? I'm about to push out my baby, like, right now." She was like, "I'd really really like to do it right now please." What in the world!? I wanted to call her names but for some reason I just let her. She did it at record speed (seriously ridiculously fast) but at a price. My arm is still totally bruised big time!

Anyway, I vividly remember putting my feet up and thinking, "I can't believe I am doing this naturally.... this is the last thing I wanted.... but here we go. The better I push, the faster this can just be OVER." There was actually a bit of a break before the big contraction where I pushed. It was like my body was getting ready for what was about to happen, and giving me a chance to get in some deep breaths and prepare mentally. Finally a contraction (and the urge to push) came on and I pushed with all my might. Everyone was encouraging me and letting me know that the baby was coming out really really well so I did not stop pushing! Michael actually wondered for a half a second if I would pass out, haha!!! The doctor warned me about the ring of fire right before it happened so that it didn't catch me off guard and I pushed through it. And just like that, with one push, his head was out. I took a deep breath, pushed again, and his shoulders were out!!! Two pushes and it was over! OH THE SWEET RELIEF!  ;-D They all told me to look down and get my baby and I did. I was so happy to finally be able to hold him!  He was much messier than my other two kids were but he was still just the most beautiful baby. Michael actually took a video relatively quick after he came out and it's kind of funny. So many emotions. So much relief for being done, still a little pain, maybe a little traumatized, ;-) but mostly just SO SO happy to finally meet my sweet little boy. I've said it before and I'll say it again- Oh how I love my babies! There is nothing like finally meeting this little person that you already love so much. Heaven was near. :-)

The nurses and doctor were all laughing about how fast that was and telling me what an awesome job I did. The doctor even made the joke, "Too bad your evil doctor wasn't cooperating so you couldn't get an epidural!" My nurse made lots of comments like, "She just went from a 5 to a 10 in no time at all!" And there was lots more laughing about the full moon. But as annoyed as I'd been by everything that happened leading up to the birth, nothing was bothering me anymore once my baby boy was in my arms. Gotta love that baby high! Michael was on a baby high as well, not only because of his studly new son, but also because he knew we wouldn't have to pay an anesthesiology bill. ;-) Anyway, they let Michael cut the cord and then I just got to hold Joshua for a while. It was great. They didn't whisk him away to measure or weigh him or anything for at least an hour! When they got to all that stuff, I found out that he was my smallest baby! (Matthew and Kate were both almost 8 lbs.) 

Recovery has been amazing. Matthew's was hard, Kate's was much easier, and Joshua's is a breeze. My hospital stay was okay but I just hate the hospital in general and being interrupted every 2 seconds. As my mom says, "Isn't it nice to get home from the hospital so you can get better?" Haha, yep, pretty much. The kids came to visit at the hospital and that was fun. Kate was sort of indifferent but Matthew loved Joshua immediately and has been so sweet with him. I hope he continues to be a rockstar big brother for his whole life. I'm sure he will be. And I have no doubt that Kate will be an amazing big sister too.

Anyway, my mom stayed for several days and and usual, it was awful to see her go. She basically ran my house while she was here which allowed me the time to actually snuggle my newborn. These days are hard but SO SO fast. Now that she's gone we're trying to get into a groove. Joshua is the perfect addition to the family though and we have loved this last week with him. He looks like a mini version of Matthew and likes to be swaddled. He HATES diaper changes and screams through it every time. He eats well and sleeps okay. And I love his kissable cheeks and gorgeous blue eyes. If only I could freeze time.... but also, I am so excited to watch him grow. I love my family.