Lindsey's Baby Blessing

On September 30, Baby Lindsey was blessed in church. Jeff gave her such a beautiful blessing and it was so wonderful to have so much of our sweet family here.

I am so blessed that my husband is such a good man! He holds and honors the priesthood which is a huge blessing, and he sets such a great example for the kids. He is so good to me and I swear, he has become a better father and husband with each kid we have!

 I made these little shoes for Katie's baby Samantha's blessing! But they were too small for her. Since even the newborn size didn't fit Lindsey, I figured the too small ones might-- so Katie brought them down and they did fit! I'm so glad they got to be used for Lindsey's blessing even though I originally made them for Sam!!

Sweet Baby Lindsey in her beautiful dress! A friend in our ward gave us the dress they purchased for their granddaughter, but it didn't fit. It was extra long nightgown style, which I didn't care for, so Terri helped me to chop off the bottom and hem it up. I love how it turned out and that I put some "craftiness" in it!

Kaylynn, Qai, Kendi and her kids and Ken and Judy came too! It was so nice they came to celebrate with us and Kaylynn was so kind to take pictures of the special day. Thanks Kaylynn for all the sweet cuddles and making it an extra special day!!

Everyone who made it for the blessing!

The wonderful men who blessed our baby: Grandpa Boucher, Rick Wride, Papa Kenny, Daddy, Grandpa Tom, Uncle Randy, Papa Ed.

Us proud parents :) Such a special little girl!

The Gingerbread Man:

The first week of school, Tyler's class made a gingerbread man. They took him to the cafeteria for the school lunch lady to bake and when they went to check on him, he had escaped! Each day, they chased him around school: to their big buddy's class, the library, the computer lab, and the nurse's office, only to find crumbs, but no cookie! On Friday, they finally found him in the principal's office in a drawer!

Tyler told me all about it that week and I figured out this was a brilliant plan to show the kindergartners the campus. When they finally found him, they took him back to class and ate him up!

A few firsts...

First Bath at home

August 17 (4 days old)

First Smile

August 18 (5 days old)

 First time at church

September 2 (almost 3 weeks old)

First time brothers read her a book

September 18 (1 month old)

First Days of School

Tyler had his first day of Kindergarten last week. I am really excited about his teacher Mrs. Wallace. She seems really great and a totally experienced teacher. Tyler was super excited to go, and has been happy to go every day. he is so ready for this new adventure! When I dropped him off and said Good-by I had to walk away quickly so he wouldn't see I was crying-- mostly out of excitement for him and a little bit of emotion, just because my little boy is old enough for school now!

Jackson's first day of Preschool was today! We met his teacher Mrs. Lott last week and he got to play in the classroom. He will learn shapes and colors and a little about the ABC's. I love this preschool and he has been looking forward to going there ever since Tyler started last year! He was so excited this morning and I can't wait to hear all about his first day!

Now what am I going to do with myself? Well, first of all, take a shower! Then cuddle this cutie and maybe do some dishes (or maybe not!)

Special Moments in Survival Mode

I've realized we are in survival mode: get through the days, get through the nights... Having a new baby is absolutely wonderful, I feel like she brought heaven with her into our house. Everyone has been happier and we've had some very peaceful special moments. But we've also had some rough days, where our lack of sleep makes coping with any challenges... well, a challenge.
We had one pretty rough day this week, a day where I realized that all this change has been hard for the boys, that they are adjusting the best they can, although they've been having some trouble with obedience and listening to me, and needing extra attention. That day, I prayed extra hard that we'd get through this transition and that the boys would be able to adjust better. I prayed that I'd be able to be the great mom I am always striving to be.
The next day, I was blessed with two very special moments that have helped me realize we are going to be just fine.
Friday morning, I told the boys that whoever was ready when Grandma came to pick us up for school would get a candy in their lunch. I can help them get dressed and brush teeth, but I can't physically pick them up or carry anyone, which makes it hard if they are not trying. When my mom came, Tyler earned his candy but Jackson didn't. We got to the car and Jack started crying that he didn't get his candy. I have to follow through now more than ever if I am reinforcing their good behavior. Tyler opened up his lunchbox and gave Jackson his candy. It made me so proud to see Tyler give away something he earned, something he wanted so badly in the first place!
Then later that day, the boys were swimming at my parents house. Tyler fell in the pool with his robe on, and he started crying that he was all wet again. My mom was about to go get him a towel, when Jackson took off his robe and handed it to Tyler. It was so sweet- the image of one brother taking off the "shirt on his back" to give it to his shirt-less brother was so special.
I am so thankful for moments like this, that help me to see that we are doing a good job. Jeff and I try so hard to always be calm and positive parents, but when we are running on just a couple hours of sleep, patience is a challenge. I feel so blessed that the Lord listens to our prayers and helps us during challenging times.

We love our Family!

Here are some of baby Lulu's special visitors right after she was born!

Uncle Tommy and family can days after Lindsey was born. Tommy and Lu have the same birthday! August 13th. We kept telling him she would be named Tammy Jane (after Tommy John) I think it is so special and neat they have the same birthday!

We had a family party at my parents that weekend to celebrate Tommy (and Tammy's) birthday.

Lanie.Lily.Melonie.Me.

Grandma Judy and Papa Kenny came the next week to help us and meet their 16th grandchild!

Tyler LOVED and still LOVES holding his little sister. He still wakes up in the morning and says, "can I hold her?"

A couple weeks later Denise and Natalie came over for a movie night and to meet the little one.

We love our family and all our visitors!

Hospital Visitors

Obviously, Daddy was there the whole time, but I had to include this pic:

oh yes we do have a matching pink onesie that says, "ADORABLE BABY"

heeehee :)

Our biggest fans- Daddy or Grandma brought them every day to see us! Baby Lulu gave them Imaginext toys as big brother gifts- Woody and Buzz. Smart baby!

Lanie and Papa came too! 

Lindsey is so lucky to have 2 sets of Great Grandparents on my side- Wolfes and Bouchers, and 1 of each on Jeff's side- Grandpa Clark and Grandma Robison. I'm very sure that Grandma Clark and Grandpa Robison were some of the last to say good-bye before she came into our family on earth!

And I didn't snap a picture while they were here, but Grandma and Grandpa were one of our first visitors, too! 

Other visitors:

Shannon, Dylan, and Grace Wride (Lindsey's namesake!)

Aneta Brown

Big Brothers on Birth Day

     

Lindsey is so lucky to have 2 big brothers that will protect her and take care of her forever!! (And maybe toughen her up just a little bit...) The boys have been so good so far. Jackson LOVES to watch me change her and helped me give her a bath already. He gets a little squeemish when he sees her umbilical cord, but I think he is scared that it hurts her. Tyler asks to hold her right when he wakes up, and loves to cuddle her and touch her hair. It's been so fun to explain to them that they were this tiny too, and how much they have grown up! Both boys start school this week (Jackson- preschool, Tyler-kindergarten!) So it really is crazy to remember when they were born, too! I love being home and that our family is all together. She is such a wonderful addition to our family!

Lindsey Grace Clark

Lindsey Grace joined our family on Monday, August 13 at 7:55 am!!

Everything went perfectly, and the recovery has been SOOO much easier than last time.

We went in at 5:30 in the morning. I usually hate being up this early, but not this day!

My hottie hubby all scrubbed up! Even though I had a Cesarean with  Jackson, this was all new to us. I was asleep last time and Jeff wasn't even there since it was an emergency, so we didn't know what to expect at all. The nurses and my doctor were all so wonderful and helpful!

So here's the birth story of our Lindsey:

After Jeff and I were all prepped, they took me to the operating room. I remember it felt cold and was smaller than I thought it would. I was pretty nervous for the spinal but the anesthesiologist was absolutely wonderful! The spinal went in without any complications, but when they laid me down I started to feel incredibly nauseous, and as I started shaking I prayed that I'd be able to have a good experience and not feel crummy the whole time. She prepped me for what we would do if I had to throw up, but she gave me zofran and possibly something else in my iv which helped pretty quickly. Then Jeff and Dr. Channell came in. It was go time and I was feeling much better!! Jeff stood back by me, holding my hand, but I told him he could watch the doctors. At one point he looked back at me and I said "don't tell me anything!" I was so nervous that if he told me what he could see I think I would have lost it!!

I had tingling sensations and was slightly nervous that I'd feel the cutting, but also nervous for our baby. Finally I heard a nurse say, "I see lots of dark hair, beautiful baby!" And then my doctor said "It's a GIRL!" and that's when I started to cry! I was so relieved that I could hear her little cries and that she was a healthy baby girl!

Jeff went over to cut the cord and watch them weigh, measure and clean her. I just laid there wiping my tears! 

Lindsey Grace Clark

August 13, 2012

7lbs, 1 oz, 19 inches long

My first moment with my baby girl! I've been waiting for this moment forever! Even as I write this I am in tears and feel so joyful that I get to experience having a daughter!!

Lindsey with Mommy and Daddy!

Camping with Daddy!

Jeff took the boys camping this weekend! They had a super fun time building a fire, telling ghost stories, roasting marshmallows and hotdogs and going fishing! (I'm a little biased, but I think they have the best Dad ever!!) And I enjoyed a quiet night and a day to get some stuff done before Baby Lulu gets here in 2 weeks!

(Tyler had to wear his camouflage outfit to go camping!)

Busy with the Baby Room!

I've been working hard to turn in my office/craft room into a baby friendly nursery! The hard part was taking an overcrowded room that already had 2 purposes and adding another one! I seriously have been organizing and downsizing for months now and I finally have some clean spaces for baby stuff! Last weekend I did laundry, this weekend Jeff built the dresser and there's finally enough room for the clothes, diapers, wipes and accessories (and baby girls need lots of accessories!!!)
We picked out the bedding fabric months ago and my good friend Melissa is making it for us! I am loving all the purple and birdies throughout the room. It's the perfect combination of whimsical yet sophisticated! And I can't wait to see the bedding done!!

My other super talented, friend Christine is making us a baby doll with this bottom fabric as the skirt- and also a birdie mobile!! I'm SO excited!

This is the dresser we picked out during our 4 HOUR Ikea trip!! With 3 kids and 3 adults, it was quite the adventure! I also fell in love with this lamp! Where the changing table is will actually be the crib and I have three pretty white picture frames (also from ikea!) to put up on the wall.

The boys helped me paint this purple shelf, I'm getting a vinyl birdie on a branch that I'm excited about for the middle part. My good friend Alissa got this beautiful watercolor of the Salt Lake Temple! And we think our baby's name will start with an L! The boys have been calling her "baby Lulu" from the very beginning! I probably should've waited to buy it, but at the time we were pretty sure- now we are talking about other names too, but there are a couple L names we love. So we will see!

And this is kind of embarrassing, but I have to show the closet (Since this is where I have spent 80% of the work!) I have so much craft stuff that the whole top shelf is lined with boxes of ribbons, flowers, buttons, paper, paint, and other supplies! Oh and also the drawers at the bottom- filled with fabric and more craft stuff! There's barely enough room for this little girl's clothes to hang in between at the craftiness!!!

We are getting so close to being done and with every step I get even more excited! I don't know why a girl's room is even more fun than a boy's room, but it definitely has been!! More pictures coming soon! 4 weeks to go!

35 WEEKS!

Only 5 weeks to go! Wahoosers.
I saw this questioneer on a friend's blog and of course she is good at record keeping and does it each week, but I thought it would be fun to document this pregnancy before it's over. Here we go!
Total Weight Gain: 24 lbs. My doc gave me a little grief about a month ago for only gaining a lb in 4 weeks. That was about 10 lbs ago! Come on, I have no appetite and have to chase two little hoodlums around all day!! But at the last appointment, he said my weight gain was good. So all those cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches did the trick!
Maternity Clothes: This is probably my favorite part of being preggers. Although I am starting to outgrow some of the shirts I was able to wear all pregnancy last time! My favorite outfit is Jeff's Batman shirt that I stole from his drawer. This is very confusing to the boys, but oh so wonderful for me :)
Sleep: I've actually been sleeping better this week than last. Every once in awhile I wake up really hot and nauseous. But for the most part, when I wake up to help the boys go potty or put the stupid cat out, I can go right back to sleep. Tylenol PM is my new best friend!
Best Moment of the Week: Doing baby laundry on Saturday! I was seriously smiling like a giddy little girl as I washed, folded and hung all the darling clothes we got from the baby shower. Everyone was SO generous and kind and I won't have to buy an outfit for this girl for at least a year!
Miss Anything? I miss being able to sleep on my stomach! That and bending over, picking up the boys, being able to tie my shoes/put socks on (luckily its summer), oh and my brain- where did that go? And I really hope it comes back when this baby gets here.
Movement: So much movement! Especially at night and first thing in the morning. At night she is so busy that I almost feel sick like something is constantly squirming around, kicking and punching my insides! But I love every movement and the reminder that she is alive and well inside of me. The funny thing is I only remember Tyler moving around this much-- Jackson was a much calmer baby (in utero and out-- in fact when I was pregnant with Jackson I freaked out cuz I didnt' feel any movements and went in to get monitored. No worries with this baby!) She is going to be spirited and energetic like Tyler- lovely!!
Food cravings: This week I have watched Cake Boss a lot and I crave a delicious layered cake with lots of cream filling, and maybe some raspberries!
Anything make you queasy or sick? I'm back to the eat every 3 hours status like in the beginning, and if I get too hot I feel sick. Raw meat or the smell of greasy food makes me feel yucky too.
Labor signs: I've had tons of Braxton Hicks contractions with tons of pressure and tightening all the way around my belly/lower back. They come especially hard at night after a busy day, so I've tried to take it easy and sit as often as possible. I've learned that the second I sit on the couch the kids love to run over and attack me. Good to know. How am I going to sit and nurse a baby without being brawled?! Seriously?
Gender? This baby better be a girl. That's all I can say! When I asked my doctor to double check the ultrasound right before my baby shower he told me to have faith (and didn't double check.). We have tons of pink, purple and frill! If I didn't know she was a girl even before the proof, I might be worried.
Symptoms: achy body pain- especially in my lower back and upper legs. Some heartburn and nausea. And that horrible round ligament pain! I keep reminding myself that my symptoms are way easier than c-section recovery so I should be enjoying this!
Happy or Moody? If you ask me, I'll say happy. If you ask Jeff or my boys, they may tell you otherwise!
Looking forward to...? Finishing the birdie themed nursery! We are so close to being done. Can't wait for it to all come together.
Realization of the week? This just came today: I keep thinking how ready I am to hold this baby and dress her and cuddle her. Today it hit me that I really need to enjoy this last month. I will never be able to go back to only 2 kids, having my hands free to cook or sweep or take a shower when I need to. Being able to sit up without pain, sleep most of the night, get in the car without buckling somebody. So I am going to stop saying I am so ready and enjoy this last month!!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a fun day on the 4th- We started out at my Mom's to swim with some friends. The kids had a blast together and it was nice to sit in the shade and visit with other Mom's.

Jackson with one of our favorite friends, Olivia! Who moved away a couple days later :(

Then when Jeff got off work, we headed to Lanie and Papa's for some family time- swimming and BBQ!

The Wrides brought a flag and their awesome camera for some family pics!

 My back started spazzing on our way over there, and I felt pretty crummy from that point on. I was having contractions and back pain and my body was hurting. Sadly, I went home to take a bath and go to bed early instead of watching fireworks :(

I love these pictures!!! And I love 4th of JULY! SO happy to be a part of such a beautiful and free country, and thankful for our rights daily!