Saturday, February 25, 2012

One (and then some)

My boy, bubba, my little man is one.
His total tooth count at one is 8. He is a little lover. His most sincere and endearing show of affection comes when he lovingly clamps his little choppers on my shoulder. I should probably be more firm with this to let him know this is not the most appropriate way to express love. But the way he does it is just so sweet. It only hurts when he is feeling mischievous. A sneaky laugh usually preludes his intentions to bite hard, so usually it is easy to stop him before any damage or pain is done. I just know I am doing his future girlfriends no favors by thinking this is cute.
He is walking like the mad toddler he is. Brian described his gate by noticing that if he were to walk into a glass door bare chested, all that would show would be his belly print. I love this stage. He never really played the "come to mama" game. He just decided he wanted to walk and got to it. He loves to be chased. I love watching his whole body tense up, his shoulders shrugging up to his ears and his fists in his mouth as he giggles furiously and tries to get away.
He is very much a social creature. In any crowd he is aware of conversation levels and matches the volume in his own jabber. This is especially charming in Sunday School. If the crowd laughs he will throw his head back and join in. He cheers after any musical number, even elevator music. He works any crowd for attention (and usually gets it). He has learned what faces to pull to get the best reaction.

Henry's first word was "Hi." Once he figured out how to use it, he did so prolifically. Many words soon followed, although most of them are just variations of "Hi" or "Hi-eeee" For example, whenever Annie comes into the room he'll say "Hi Ah-eee." Ellie is just "Ah-eee" or "Ah-eeee, eh awww oooo" (Ellie, where are you). He learned ASL for "more." I am pretty slack at teaching the proper use, so really to him it means "I want that."

I love how much he likes to laugh. It is so easy to get him red-faced giggling. He is such a happy, sweet little boy. I can't get enough of his Charlie Brown noggin'.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Kinda in Love. Can You Blame Me?

These are my kids. Yup, they're mine. Some days I am blown away by how lucky I am. . . and then there is potty training . . . Henry is closing in on 8 months old. He is seriously the happiest little kid I have ever known. He has this open-mouthed smile that melts my heart, but he shares it with everyone. He makes old men behind us in checkout lanes chuckle when he smiles and coos at them, like they are his long lost brother. He makes ladies swoon and pinch his cheeks when he giggles at them just for looking his way. We were walking down Midway Main during Swiss Days (translation LOTS of people) and everyone coming toward us kept smiling and pointing. After about 1/2 mile I looked down to see Henry sharing his million dollar smiles. He makes everyone feel special and funny (he laughs at pretty much everything).
One thing is for sure, he definitely saves his most enthusiastic smiles for dad when he comes home and there is no one he prefers more than his big sister. He will stare at Ellie with a pasted grin just waiting for her to acknowledge him. The moment she looks his way he shoves his fists into his mouth to stifle his squeals of delight. It is so fun to watch these two interact more and more.
His tooth count is up to 5. He has learned now that it is not a fun game to bite, but in the beginning he sure got a kick out of it.
We are not sure his limit in the jumper yet, but he has been known to spend upwards of 1/2 hour with non stop jumping, still laughing.
He isn't quite so chubby anymore, but he is in no way skinny. His cheeks offer him a well-fed look but he is definitely stretching out.

Ellie is a sweet heart. She is learning how choices and consequences work, which can be a tough lesson. She is so sweet when she says sorry and for the most part is pretty compliant. I am grateful for these times when I can tell she trusts us. I hope somehow I can keep that going.
She loves to wear dresses and "dancing skirts." Whenever I start working on a new dress for her she will come into my sewing room and say, "Oh thank you mother."
She has recently been exposed to a vast number of Disney Princess movies and it is quite interesting to see them take shape in her personality. A few months ago I caught her giving Woody a very Rapunzel-like kiss. And our nightly good night kiss morphed into her placing my face in her hands and slowly leaning in for a sweet peck on the lips. It is very romantic. Almost everyday we talk about how Dad is my prince and we got married in the temple. She loves that story. As much as I love her sweet kisses and romantic ways, I have begun to limit her princess exposure (hopefully I'm not too late).
More than kissing, she loves rides in the trailer. We have found our favorite spot to ride our bikes to down by the river. There are plenty of rocks to throw for Annie and Ellie always gets soaked. She loves it. She also loves music class, and swings, and running races. Almost everything becomes a race. It is a great tool in getting a doddling toddler to pick up the pace.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

And While I'm At It

Here are my two babes . . . so fun.Ellie is wearing the other dress fashioned from Brian's old shirt.

Because I Have Nothing Better To Do

Right . . . I fool myself into thinking that making dresses for my girl is a "need," but let's be real. I put dishes and weeding on hold every now and again to get crafty (sorta). I consider myself a "sloppy seamstress." I don't do zippers or lined bodices. If it is not easy and if I can't finish it in one or two nap times, I don't do it. Those more challenging projects are not for this stage in my life. This is the second dress I have made out of Brian's old dress shirts and I love how they have turned out. They are quick and cute (and free). Ellie is not one to stand still for a picture.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Henry's Big Day

Henry was given a name and a blessing on March 6, 2011. It was a great event and our little cottage was bursting at the seams with family and good food.(I think these monkey suits are a little ridiculous:) He is still handsome)
I said a little prayer that morning that, if it was convenient, President Monson would attend his home ward today. I wanted to share a little of our amazing experience of having a prophet in our ward with my family. Sure enough, I couldn't stop smiling when I noticed Church security saving the back row for him. My heart burned, as it usually does, when he walked in and I smiled as different family members experienced their own President Monson moment. He shook hands, complimented hair cuts, and even drew a picture for my nephew. Behind the pulpit he is a Prophet, with an undeniable mantle. Face to face he is a grandpa, friendly and kind, with a something extra special about him.Brian performed the blessing with the help of Henry's Grandpa's and Great-Grandpa. He did a great job and Henry, true to character, was as calm as could be.
The afternoon was so fun as everyone walked back to the house for food and visiting. All three of Henry's living Great-Grandma's were there along with oodles of aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents.My youngest brother, Joe, had just received his mission call. So, at 4:30 pm MST we arranged for some skyping with the few siblings that couldn't attend, and he opened that life-changing packet in our living room. Tokyo, Japan! He was a little breathless as he rubbed his smiling face after he read it out loud. I can only imagine what was going through his head. He will be an amazing missionary -- although I was more than a bit relieved his was still close to home after the earthquake the following Friday.
It was a crazy good time. I love having so much loving family around for myself and for my kids. It couldn't have been a better day.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Is It Really Only 3:30?

Oh chocolate save us!
Nothing like double chocolate chip cupcakes to improve both mom's and toddler's moods.This guy couldn't care less.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

My Bald Babies

Girly locks in pigtails are cute, as are little boys with their gelled does. But bald babies are IRRESISTIBLE! Nothing beats rubbing my lips across their peach fuzz heads and kissing that perfectly shaped dome. Henry is never without a glittery noggin thanks to his mama's incessant kissing (and wearing of glittery lip gloss.) We brought our guy home Saturday after he was born after just one day of extra observation. He came home with just a few battle scars, the heel pricks being the most noticeable. Nothing like what his sister went through, thank goodness, but still sad to see on such little feet. He is a healthy robust little chunk. At his two week check up he tipped the scales at 10 lbs 1 oz. Almost 2 pounds in one week. His doctor gave me a gold star (literally). It took little Ellie over 4 months to pass 10 pounds. For having the same parents, these kids sure are different. Needless to say I have enjoyed his squishy cheeks and rolly poly thighs.
He is such a pleasant and calm little boy. He is starting to give out smiles and coos, it melts my heart. The other day Brian came home and scooped him out of the swing saying: "how's my little . . . " interrupted by a good laugh. I peeked around the corner to see the biggest smile Henry's round cheeks would allow. Ellie has been such a champ -- considering that we just turned her little two-year old world upside down. The first couple of week were tricky for all of us, but through it all she has been so sweet to her little bubba and patient with her mom. She reminds me daily about tummy-time by pulling out Henry's play mat and plopping down on her stomach. "Tummy-time mom!"
At her 2-year check-up she surprised us all by finally making it squarely on the growth charts into the 16th percentile for weight (24 lbs). 70th percentile for height and something like 80 or 90th for head . . . when your dad has a big head and your mom has a big head, your gonna have a big head.
Our pretty little girl
Tummy-time for Henry
Our first outing. Mom vs two. It was a resounding success. Many more (weather permitting) to come.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

"Heya Blondie"


The congregations filed out of the chapel into the foyer as usual after sacrament meeting this afternoon. From across the way, President Monson caught sight of our little toe-head and called out, "Heya Blondie, gimme five," as he held out his hand.
Ellie bounded over and slapped his prophet-sized hand. As she turned back to her dad, Brian said "you just high-fived President Monson!"
"President Monson, he's so silly," was Ellie's reply.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Oh Bother

Today is discharge day . . . but not for our little guy. I am not surprised, but I am a little disappointed. There is a guest room available to me for tonight so I will stay at the hospital with him for at least one more night. He is doing well. They mostly want to keep him for observation since his blood sugars have not completely stabilized and infection is still a threat. Oh boy does he look handsome! He reminds me of a little turtle the way he stretches his neck up and squints at me. I love this kid.

The nurses are taking good care of him. They love his chubby cheeks too:) One silver lining to having babies with these issues is I get to avoid the meconium diapers. After two kids I have changed only one of those tarry beauties. A task I am okay with missing out on.
Brian and Ellie brought some treats to share with me last night. I miss my little girl but she is having the time of her life with dad. She got to meet Henry once before they took him into the nursery. It was such a sweet moment. She wasn't surprised in the least to see baby brother in my arms. She hopped right up on the bed and started talking to him and commenting on his diaper, ears, nose, hands and everything else she could pull out of her vocabulary. Since then she has been a little upset that he hasn't been here with me. Sadly, but understandably, she is not allowed in the NYI.Thanks Jen and Nathan for the 'big sister' present. It has kept her occupied while Brian gets daddy-time with his boy.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

My New Mr.

Henry Randall White
born 1-19-2011 @ 12:47 am
8 lbs 3 oz
21 in
This little guy does things his way. Near the end of December I was so nervous he was going to come early. Little did I know this little cookie was going to be well-done gestationally speaking.

His due date came and went but physically I was feeling fabulous. I credit this to my memory foam mattress and 3rd trimester lap swimming. When the nurse asked me the routine "and how do you feel?" at my appointment on the 18th, she said I was the first "over-due" woman she has ever heard answer "awesome." The nurse-midwife checked me and said "Oh Wow! I can't believe you haven't had this baby yet!" She confirmed what my doctor had said the week before, that I would go fast and to get to the hospital sooner rather than later. She stripped my membranes and I went home.

The rest of the day I felt a general yuckiness. Mildly achy back and slight cramps, but nothing to suggest labor was eminent. By the time Brian got home, I suggested we take Ellie to grandma's for the night. Not because I thought I was going to go into labor, but because I knew I would sleep better knowing that I didn't have to wait an extra 45 min for someone to come get Ellie if I did go into labor. After dinner we went to Brian's parents' house to drop off Ellie. I started to really focus on feeling contractions. I could feel them but they were no more intense than Braxton-Hicks and they were more than 10 minutes apart and not consistent. I was sure I had a good night's rest ahead of me. We went home. I packed some last minute things into the hospital bag and got ready for bed. By 10:30 pm I realized that we would be going to the hospital that night. Because I was GBS (+) and because of the doctor's warning to get to the hospital early, I decided we should leave, even though I wasn't in pain and still not having consistent contractions. On the way to the hospital the contractions came every 6 minutes. On the walk from the car to OB unit at the UofU hospital they progressed to every 3 minutes. By the time we were approached by the OB nurses I was having difficulty talking during the contractions. They asked "are you here to be evaluated?" I answered "I'm here to have a baby."

At 11:30pm I was put in a room and checked. I was dilated to a 5 and 100% effaced. I told them I was going unmedicated (in the end I really wouldn't have had a choice in the matter). Our nurse gave us some helpful hints and went to get a birthing ball. . . we didn't get a chance to use it. From there things got intense. Nurses brought in a delivery table and started heating up the baby warmer. Erika, our right-hand nurse, kept saying things like "in case things go fast," and "you are progressing quickly." At one point when she left, Brian asked me "what do they mean by "fast"?" I told him I figured in labor terms 4 to 5 hours is fast. They started me on penicillin for the GBS and turned it on the fast drip because as Erika said "just in case things go fast."
I threw up and my water broke. That pulled two resisdent Drs into the room. "We've called Dr. Sharp, hopefully he'll make it." I knew he lived 5 minutes away, so this gave me a better idea of what they were meaning when they said "fast." After I threw up, I felt the need to push. The contractions were intense. It was incredible! The hardest part was resisting the urge to push through the contractions. Dr. Sharp came into the room and I was so relieved thinking surely he would let me push now. He checked me and encouraged me to make it through a couple of more contractions to open up the last little bit of cervical lip. Finally after reaching pinnacles that I didn't know existed within my body, I was told to push. I could feel him move quickly through me. After one contraction he was well into the birth canal and his heart rate dropped drastically, I could hear it on the monitor. "If you can push, push." Dr. Sharp said. No problem. The animal mommy in me kicked in and pushed that noggin out before the end of the next contraction. It was absolutely euphoric. Every metaphor I have ever read or heard before referring to a woman in travail or relief after labor took on a whole new meaning in that moment. My body was humming and I had this little man in my arms.

From the time we got the the OB unit to the time of his birth was 77 minutes (11:30 pm to 12:47 am).1-18-2011 at approx 11:30 pm

77 minutes later

Being GBS (+) has turned out to have been a blessing and a curse. I am certain I would have waited much longer to go to the hospital had I not been concerned about getting the antibiotics started. This baby could have so easily been born at home or in the car . . . scary thought. However, obviously we didn't get the antibiotics going in time to protect little Henry. While infections to infants from GBS are rare, even in cases like this, the complications from such infections are so serious to newborns they have to be watched carefully. Right away some small and seemingly minor symptoms of infection started showing up in our little guy. Yesterday they did some bloodwork and a spinal tap. He was having a hard time regulating his temperature and glucose levels so they had to take him to the NYI (this is a nursery that is a step down from the NICU). Initial culture results have come back negative for infection, which is awesome! But it takes 48 hours to confirm absolutely no infection. Depending on how well he does with his glucose levels and the results of the cultures, he may need to stay longer. Not ideal, but nothing we can't handle. He looks so good with his chubby cheeks and rosy complexion it is hard to feel the worry we felt with his half pint sister. He is more than twice the size she was at birth. We are cautiously optimistic that all will be well and he can go home on Friday. Time will tell and we know from experience how fickle those glucose numbers can be.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Delicious Little Ellie

So fun this little girl is. Her little attitude and antics keep us on our toes and keep us laughing. Here are a few examples of what I mean:

We were on our way to Brian's soccer game in Provo (an hour + drive). Once Ellie was buckled in I figured we were in for a looong drive with a fussy toddler. As she started to complain I handed her a pen and figured I would deal with the consequences later. Naive I know, but she was so quiet the whole trip. I figured she had fallen asleep and I didn't want to lean back to check . . . in case it woke her. When we got to the field we discovered our little miss, bright-eyed and oh so proud of herself.I love it! She got the whole ball. I can just imagine her little tongue sticking out in concentration as she worked on her masterpiece.
A little while ago we went to temple square/downtown to kill some time one evening. Disneyland couldn't have entertained her more. She started talking a mile a minute, mostly about everything she could see. She walked around with her chin held high looking up at the buildings and of course the temple. We tried our best to steer her little head away from walls, poles, and people. It was fun to watch this girl discover. Of the many things she discussed here are a few I caught (and understood).
  • "Nie! so high on top" (Nie = Moroni)
  • "Stinky horses. Need wipes."
  • "Desus. Owie hands. Need bandaid, make it all betta."
  • "Dolef Smilif."
I love this picture. She may look terrified (and who could blame her, that mask looks possesed!). Really she was just commenting to me and this is what the camera caught. She is at such a fun age to pull out stickers and crayons and watch what she creates. She loves it and gets completely engrossed in her work. The masks were fun, but she had no interest in wearing hers. (thanks Ms. Apple for the idea:)

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Babymoon

The count down is on. In just a few short months we will have a bran-spankin' new babe to sniff and cuddle, to ooggle and awe, to kiss and love to bits. So much to look forward to . . . and about a month ago as I was looking forward to all of this, I remembered. I remembered the new parent delirium, the sleep deprived walking into walls, and pacing the floors at all hours of the night. I remember 3 months of house arrest, 9 months of no dates, 13 months of not one entire night's sleep. I look at Ellie, oh how I loved her, and even in the thick of all of that I still felt like the luckiest. I am in no way dreading the new adventure of #2, bring it on! However I was filled with an urgent sense of carpe dieum as I looked to the future. So I got online booked a trip for two for a one day, two night trip to San Fransisco. Ellie loves grandma's and grandma loves Ellie, so that is where our little girl hung out.

An hour after dropping her off I called see how she was doing, I was already missing her. But we were off.We stayed in a hotel right in downtown San Fransisco (because I didn't know any better). We kept the window open at nights because there was no air conditioning (a commonality among the older hotels in the area). The bed was comfy so I slept well, but it was noisy.
When we woke up the first morning it was so beautiful outside. Not a patch of fog so we had to go find a beach. We drove North (I think) over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. It is so much more magnificent and beautiful to see in person, as most iconic things are. I got chills as we drove over the bay and I looked out toward Alcatraz. Awesome.

We stopped at Muir beach. Awesome. There were happy wet dogs splashing through the waves and dirty happy kids chasing them. This is so much more our style. Again, we missed our Ellie and Annie. Our next trip to SF we will stay on this side of the bridge.
We drove past Muir woods and through a few snooty little towns along Hwy 1. Snooty, but very characteristic and fun. We stopped in a very environmentally conscious town (I know because that is what they claimed on their welcome sign, they still sold water in plastic bottles so I wasn't impressed:) and walked through a very stinky artesian cheesery -- or whatever they call a place they make cheese. Cheese would be a fun thing to get into I think, kinda cool. But it smelled rotten and I didn't dare take any samples seeing that I pregnant and all.
Whoa, check that baby bump, yup I'm definately pregnant.We strolled through a harbor, bought some hats for our little toe-head back home and went back to the hotel to rest before the show.
And oh the show! Really, besides the whole impending babydum, this was a big motivating factor for the whole trip.Our hotel was a 15 minute walk from the Orpheum theater. So we got all glammed up, I put on my shiny new red high heels (they looked awesome!) and about 5 minutes into the walk I wondered what I was thinking. I had blisters before we got to the first cross walk. I toughed it out to the theater and walked bare foot after the show. Gross I know, but it was better than bleeding feet.

It was the perfect babymoon. I love Brian so very much and am so excited to enter this new stage of parenthood with him. And hopefully we will always find ways to squeeze in one day, two night us time. On the BART ride to the airport, however, we both agreed that we couldn't wait to see our little girl, and by the look on her face when we walked in the door she was glad it wasn't a longer trip too.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Hey kid

We got to take a peek at our little boy this week. And he is handsome! There is something about seeing those little peanuts wiggle around on screen that makes me giggle. It's an euphoria that is hard to explain. With Ellie it was the same. It seems more real after this point. I'm not just puking and feeling off for nothing. I am really growing a baby.
I feel him move every now and again, but this kid was doing somersaults during the whole process, and waving and kicking -- I, of course, couldn't feel any of it. I loved it. I've been on a bit of a high ever since.
(4 month baby bump)

And in case you missed it . . . it's a boy!


Payson Lakes


Two cold, restless nights - oodles of sun and sunscreen - yummy good food (Mom White's dutch oven classics, yumm) - plenty of cousins - fishing - canoeing - kayaking - falling overboard (Brian and Ellie anyway).(My babe's awesome bedhead and sleepy eyes)
(daddy and daughter)
(Aunt Laura and cousin Erin having the time of their lives)
(Uncle Brad, cousins Erin, Nate, and Natalie, and Brian)(Pre-toddle overboard -- I can't understand how she fell over :) Erin held onto her until Dad could get over to rescue, and Grandpa took pictures)
(Post-toddle overboard- surprisingly unscathed and wanting to swim. That's my girl)