2!!

It's time to get back to the blogging world, because it's such a fun way to keep track of the kids!

I can't believe my baby girl is 2 already!!! We ordered pizza (her favorite) on her birthday, and she was so excited to get "my bike!", a backpack "I'm going to SCHOOL!", and a singing Belle doll. She had a great day at daycare with all of her friends and loved singing Happy Birthday to herself all day. :)

We celebrated her birthday on Sunday with a small party of some of her friends and family. We had a Paw Patrol themed party, because Skye is her favorite :) She was also loving all the attention that day. The next morning both kids woke up and said they were so tired!

Lauren has such a great personality and she is so funny--and she knows it. She LOVES to sing and is either talking, singing, or reading at all times. She will also purposely torment her brother just to get him worked up, then she laughs. She has been a very early talker, which makes it really fun to have actual conversations with her and she can tell us what she needs and wants. That part isn't always the best, like when she told me she didn't like the life jacket I picked out for her at Target and kept yelling that. It made everyone else around us chuckle, and all I could do was laugh and shake my head and try reason with her :) Good luck with that!!

She pretty much has us all wrapped around her finger, and she knows it. She brings so much joy to those she's around, and if you're lucky, she'll sing for you, ask you a million questions, and repeat every word you say!

Here are her annual questions!

Height: (will find these out next week!)

Weight:

Nicknames: Sister, Sissy, Bird, Birdie girl, Sassy pants

Clothes size: 2T-3T

Shoe size: 5.5-6

Diaper size: 5, soon to be 6

Birthday Party Theme: Paw Patrol

Loves to Play: Puzzles, Reading, Cooking, Babies, Coloring, Piano, Singing

Likes to help with: cooking, baking, folding clothes (aka bringing me books to read her while I'm folding)

Always talks about: Corbie, Jersey, repeats everything, always singing

Favorite Toy: Babies, stuffed Skye, anything her brother has, Magnadoodle, princess castle

Favorite Food: Pizza, Spaghetti, BBQs

Favorite Animal: Jersey

Favorite Book: Where's My Nose, a red book with flaps that I can't remember what it's called.

Favorite TV show/Movie: Paw Patrol, Moana, Mickey Mouse

Favorite Song: Sweet Caroline, ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, Are you Sleeping, Mr Golden Sun, Jingle Bells

Best Friend: Corbin & Madi

Favorite snack: Yogurt, Craisins

Favorite things to do: Sing, play piano, talk, torment Corbin, go to Kim's house, FaceTime, play outside, help in the kitchen, playing on Mom and Dad's bed, playing in the kitchen, reading books, playing the headlight game with Grandpa, playing with babies, being helpful :)

Three!

Here we are almost one month into having a three year old!!! How is that possible?!

We celebrated our big 3 year old again with a small party of immediate family and a couple of his close friends! He had a blast with his "Super Why birthday" and still talks about it! (Probably because the Super Why balloons are still floating...).

I think we can officially say we're in the trenches of potty training now! He's been doing great with a pull-up, and I think we might try an underwear weekend this weekend since we'll finally be home! Crossing my fingers he keeps up the excitement!!

So proud of the little boy my baby has become! He loves to help, doesn't like getting in trouble, and is so kind-hearted!

Here are his annual questions!

Height: 40" (95th %)

Weight: 36 lb (87th %)

Nicknames: Corbie, Corbie D, Monk

Clothes size: 3T-4T

Shoe size: 8-9

Diaper size: 7

Birthday Party Theme: Super Why

Loves to Play: ChooChoo Train, Tractors, Puzzles, Games on tablet

Likes to help with: cooking, baking, laundry, feeding Baby Sister, letting Jersey in and out, cleaning

Always talks about: Daddy's new pickup, riding in the combine, "Where we going?"

Favorite Toy: Train, Tractors, Trucks, Cozy Coupe, Ride-on combine

Favorite Food: "Pizza and Chicken"

Favorite Animal: Jersey

Favorite Book: Goodnight Moon, The New Baby, Mickey's Birthday

Favorite TV show/Movie: Paw Patrol, Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Super Why

Best Friend: Harper, Axel, Elsie, Mommy

Favorite snack: Yogurt, Fruit Snacks

Favorite things to do: Playing outside, FaceTime, Driving his car, Going on the pontoon, Helping in the kitchen, Getting the mail, Riding in the combine/tractor, Riding bike, Going to the Splash Park, Going to Kim's, Talking on the phone!

Life with Two Littles

Well, I figured life with two little people would be busy--and I was right!! I'm so thankful that Lauren joined us when she did so that Tim could be home to help out. Soon enough, though it was planting time. Corbin went to daycare every day while I was on maternity leave and I'm so thankful for that. He got to keep his schedule, and I got to spend time with my baby. It was the best! Eventually when I went back to work we started getting into a routine, and thankfully that hasn't changed too much!

Corbin

• Almost 3!!!! How is that possible?! He is having a Super Why birthday party, and it really excited about it! Of course, if I would've known of his love for Paw Patrols, we probably could've gone that route, too. Oh well, he's excited either way!
• Talks nonstop. He has always been a talker, but now it's fun because you can really understand what he's saying and he's been talking really clearly. We recently tried learning knock knock jokes, so that's our new trick. He hasn't quite mastered it yet ;)
• He still loves to watch Mickey, but now Paw Patrols has seemed to be a front runner, as well as Super Why.
• He LOVES to be farming....all the time. Whether it's with his tractors and combines at home, or out in the field riding with Dad and Grandpa. The kid just goes crazy when he sees tractors and combines!
• We have his 3 year well child check on August 23rd and I can hardly wait to see where he fits in the percentiles for height and weight. He's a solid kid, but skinny and tall.
• He has really been a great big brother! He didn't care much for his sister (aka Baby Sister) when she was first home, but now that she can laugh at him and smile at him, he thinks she's pretty great! He loves to tell her we're "almost home" or "mom's coming" if she starts to get fussy. He's also the first one to grab her "nookers" or "paci" when she's crying. He's a big helper!!
• His personality is SO much like mine as a child....I'll take full responsibility for that part. He is sensitive, caring, helpful, and hates getting in trouble.
• HOWEVER, he takes after his Dad in that he is a chicken about being in water and doesn't care for heights. He's certainly not going to be my daring child!! :)
• I better save some updates for his 3rd birthday post coming soon!

Lauren

• Baby Sister was 14lb 13oz (57th%) and 22.75" (1%!) long at her 4 month well child check!! We went through the "short kid" thing with Corbin, so I figured we wouldn't have much luck with her! :)
• She loves to hear herself talk and squeal!
• She is attempting to try roll over, but still needs some help. She's been doing great with tummy time once she gets rolled over, though!
• She loves her Fisher Price "Sit Me Up" so she can see what's going on, and we have recently brought her bouncer upstairs, so she's really enjoying that new toy! Corbin also really loves it, so that's helpful :)
• She has been a great sleeper until recently! Not sure if it's a growth spurt/4 month sleep regression, or because of the rash and raw neck she acquired lately. Mom really hopes it's short-lived so we can get our good sleeper back!
• She really loves Jersey, and thinks that Corbin is the funniest guy in the world!
• She has been such a good and content baby. We're pretty lucky!!!

Lauren's birth story!

To keep this short and sweet, here's Lauren's birth story that I put in her baby book!! :)

Due to Mom's pre eclampsia restricting your growth, it was decided to deliver you at 37 weeks 2 days. I couldn't eat for 8 hours before surgery, so woke up at 3:30 am to have some oatmeal and boiled eggs! We woke up that morning and got Corbin ready and to daycare and we headed to the hospital at 10am. We got into our room and changed into a gown. We were hoping for a VBAC, but Dr Andreson came to check and I wasn't dilated enough. It was c section time! The nurse struggled to find a good vein for my IV, but eventually got one! Then we sat and waited and answered a bunch of questions.

Shortly after noon, they came and got us to walk down to the OR so I could get my spinal. Once that was done, Dad came in to join us, as well as a room full of people. Surgery started and about 15 minutes later, you were ready to come out! At first I heard a little cry, but you also had swallowed some fluid before you came out. They let Dad stand up and see what you were, but nobody told me!! Finally they showed me that you were a girl! We were SO happy that you were finally here!!! The NICU team helped you clear out your lungs and then you were put skin to skin on my chest while they stitched me up. It was the best feeling ever! You were a perfect, tiny little princess!

4lb 14 oz 18.25" long born at 12:52pm!

35 weeks-37.2 weeks!

Yep, it's been what feels like years since I've updated this!!! Ok, before I forget, I'm going to go back to where I left off, then Lauren's birth story, then a recent update! :)

Shortly after my last post, I went in for my 35 week appointment on a Friday. My blood pressure was elevated. Great. THEN, we discovered that baby was breech. Even more great. Of course I bawled my eyes out because I so badly wanted to try for a VBAC. Well, I had to go back on Monday at 36w and have my blood pressure checked.

Tim came with me to this appointment to get his Tdap shot. So, I'm sitting on the little table undressed from the waist down with a little tiny sheet over me while the nurse comes in to give him his shot. He did just fine, and she left. Pretty soon he starts looking really pale....then tells me he's probably going to pass out. He manages to get himself sat on the floor and just as I rush down from the table to help him, he tips over and passes out. SO, I open the door and thankfully my nurse was right there so she grabbed a bunch of people who came rushing in to help. They got him sat up and talking, trying to cool him off, giving him orange juice (which later led to canker sores!), and meanwhile, I'm shoved in the back corner of the room trying to hold my little tiny sheet over myself!!!! Looking back now it's really funny, but in that moment, not so much! So, after all that was done, my doctor came in and I told her there was no way I was getting my blood pressure checked again. It had been elevated when we first got there. Well, she told me that I now met criteria for gestational hypertension.......and said, we're taking your baby next week, so how about Monday? Well, how about Wednesday? So, I was scheduled to go back on Thursday for an ultrasound and NST, and if that was ok, we'll come back again on Monday for another, and if that's ok, Wednesday is our day. I was told to prepare for them to take the baby any of those days in case things didn't look good.

Thursday: Ultrasound. BABY ISN'T BREECH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, baby is tiny...and thankfully healthy from what we can see. Had our NST, and baby was a wild child, so that was great. Had to see a different doctor because mine was gone. He said something about baby being small, but didn't go into detail. He said VBAC was still an option now that baby wasn't breech. My blood pressure was what it had been, so no cause for a baby that day. Bags were packed, but back home we go.

Monday: Quick ultrasound, baby still looks healthy. When it was time for NST, of course I had to drink a huge glass of juice, and ice water, and still wasn't getting much movement. BUT, we had just seen baby on ultrasound, so they were ok with it. Still only maybe a fingertip dilated, so not even enough to do a minimal induction. I was super bummed about this, so we decided to give it one last ditch effort on Wednesday when I came in to check and see if I had dilated anymore. Bags were packed again, but home we go, now with the inevitable Wednesday baby day.

We shared with our parents and siblings and I shared with my supervisor at work, but otherwise we decided to keep the fact that we were going in a secret. If I couldn't get my VBAC, I at least wanted the element of surprise!!

5 weeks!

Life in General

      We were able to go on a "babymoon" to Fargo this past weekend! It was so much fun to just spend time together as a couple, finish up baby shopping, and just relax! When we got home on Sunday, we sanitized bottles, finished washing things, and got quite a bit accomplished around the house. I have to say, looking back at blog posts from Corbin's birth, we weren't this prepared until around 38 weeks! Feeling good about where we're at with everything this time. It will most likely be an early spring, so Tim can focus on what he needs to do on the farm knowing that we're as ready as we'll be for baby's arrival. Corbin is also starting to take some interest in helping, so we've really tried to play up the "big brother" role for him so he can get excited about that--not that he knows what that means really... :)

Pregnancy Symptoms

FINALLY got over whatever was ailing me--thanks to the zpack! I have been feeling pretty great for the most part still. I am starting to get sore feeling, especially getting up after sitting down, or if I've been standing for a while. I get sudden bursts of energy as well, so trying to take advantage of those!

Baby Updates

Baby C is now about the size of a honeydew melon. Weighing in at 5-5.5lb, 18-19" approximately. Crazy!

Weekly Questions

Exact Weeks/Days Pregnant:  35 weeks 1 day
What size is the baby right now?  Approximately the size of a honeydew
Weight gain/loss:  up 2lb this week--growth spurt?!; up 16 lb total
Maternity clothes? Yep. Leggings and yoga pants all the way!
Stretch marks?  Nothing new still!
Sleep? Not bad, but it takes a lot of work to switch sides

Best moment this week? Babymoon!
Symptoms: Heartburn, pelvis feeling sore
Food cravings: Raisin Bran Crunch is my go to....
Food aversions: Salty fast food...no thanks.
Gender: Going team pink this week, but keep finding myself looking at baby boy stuff.
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Lots of pushing and stretching
What I miss? Walking up the stairs without feeling the need for an oxygen mask! haha.
What I'm looking forward to:  Quick little "Babymoon" this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Milestones: Will hopefully finish baby shopping this weekend!

6 weeks?! What?!

I can't believe we have 6 weeks left!!!!!!!! Officially "next month"!

Pregnancy Symptoms

As far as pregnancy goes, I've been feeling really great. I had a massage yesterday and boy do my hips and lower back love me for it today! I'm so thankful to have a skilled MT who knows exactly what my body seems to need! I was given a zpack for my cold/bronchitis, and I think we're finally on the upswing!!! I'm coughing much less than I was a few days ago, and just dealing with a little bit of congestion in the mornings mostly.

I've been soaking in Epsom salt baths pretty much nightly the last few weeks. It's really felt amazing to help me relax in the evenings, manage swelling, and aches and pains. Wish I would've started them a long time ago!

Baby Updates

Baby C is now about the size of a butternut squash. Approximately 4.5-5.5 lb, and 17-19" long! Baby's lungs are almost fully developed, and baby is still working on packing on the pounds!

Weekly Questions

Exact Weeks/Days Pregnant:  34 weeks 1 day
What size is the baby right now?  Approximately the size of a pineapple
Weight gain/loss:  up 3lb this week--growth spurt?!; up 14 lb total
Maternity clothes? Yep. Leggings and yoga pants all the way!
Stretch marks?  Nothing new still!
Sleep? Not bad lately!

Best moment this week? Yesterday's massage, for sure!
Symptoms: Heartburn!
Food cravings: Raisin Bran Crunch is my go to....
Food aversions: Salty fast food...no thanks.
Gender: Going team pink this week, but keep finding myself looking at baby boy stuff.
Belly button in or out? In
Movement? Lots of pushing and stretching
What I miss? Walking up the stairs without feeling the need for an oxygen mask! haha.
What I'm looking forward to:  Quick little "Babymoon" this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Milestones: Will hopefully finish baby shopping this weekend!