A Memorable Christmas!

Thanks to all of our family for a joyful holiday. I wasn't able to do too much other than sit around and snuggle Harrison and recover, but I sure enjoyed being able to spend time with family.

We left the hospital a day earlier than I had planned. I was feeling pretty good and was anxious to see John and Bettina who were only in town for a few days. I was so glad that we did that because we would have been trying to leave the hospital in a blizzard the next day - or worse - stuck there for Christmas - yuck!

The night of Christmas eve we had a wonderful visit at my parents house, but then when it came time to leave the snow was super deep in my parents street and the family worked to dig us a path and had to push the van to get us unstuck several times. I was so worried about making it the rest of the way, but we weren't prepared to stay and Jeff felt strongly about getting us home. Once we got out of their neighborhood the route was pretty smooth sailing. The only other place we were stuck was in our own driveway. Jeff did a great job of maneuvering those crazy roads and getting us home. I was super tense during the drive and the boys were watching everything closely so I was shocked to see that they both fell asleep in the last few minutes of the short drive. What a relief to call my dad and tell him that we were home.

We ventured back out for a much easier drive to their house for some afternoon time on Christmas day after spending the morning with the five of us enjoying all of the goodies that santa brought. The day after Christmas we hosted my parents and John and Bettina for a nice brunch and a short visit. John and dad were coming down with head colds, so they didn't stay long.

The Poyner Christmas kept getting re-scheduled as we were trying to include as many people as possible and then ended up canceled due to the crazy Oklahoma blizzard. We were still able to make it out for a visit on Sunday evening to exchange gifts and spend some time with some of the family. I didn't get to meet my new niece, but hope to do that sometime soon.

Baby Love on Christmas Day

It's Christmas day and I should probably feel like writing something super Christmassy, but all I want to do today is stare at this tiny little new guy in our house. I didn't blog when I had my first two boys so I don't think I ever took the time to write about these first days. Today I just have to!

I adore every little squeak and crazy facial expression. I stare into his eyes and wonder what his first thoughts and interests are. I cherish each time that his big brothers re-introduce themselves and declare their love for him. He doesn't feel as tiny and fragile as a lot of babies do... probably because he started off at 9 lbs. He is only four days old, but he feels so much like he belongs with us already.

I want to breathe him in all day long. I know there are many days ahead of me when I will need a break from him, but I can't imagine them now. He is nothing but sweet and tender. Jeff said that he already recognizes my voice. I was on the phone with my dad this morning and he was fussing in another room. Jeff brought him into the room and he was immediately calmed by the sound of my voice. The first day or two he was especially squeaky. Even when content he made a kind of grunting noise. The nurses called him a singer. One of them suggested he might just be clearing out his lungs and it seems that must have been the case because he isn't doing it anymore (thank goodness - I'd NEVER sleep!).

Speaking of sleeping - I have definitely been watching too many sci-fi shows lately. Last night I fell asleep nursing and woke up to a dream that I was a wet-nurse for aliens and I was concerned that I was nursing the wrong species. Too crazy!

I am thinking of my family today and wishing we could be together. The snow outside makes for hazardous roads and after travelling them last night we decided to stay on the safe side today and just have a quiet day at home. Jeff made us a huge brunch and we've been cleaning and enjoying all of the new games and gifts. Hope everyone is staying comfy, warm and as safe as a newborn baby all wrapped up burrito style.

Love,
Christine

Santa Baby

Harrison was born 12-21-09 at 6:59 am. He weighed 9 lbs even and was 20 1/2 inches long. My water broke about 3:45am and we headed into the hospital. My dad came and stayed with the boys until the woke up. He took them to breakfast and then Katie Welch was kind enough to come and watch them the remainder of the morning.

We are both doing well. I came home a day earlier than I expected to because I was feeling so great. Now I have to remember not to overdo it. My gigantic swollen legs remind me of that. We had a great experience at the hospital. All of the staff was super to work with and we were very comfortable. I got really scared right before the surgery because I remembered having referred pain during both of my previous c-sections. Although it took a while to get my anesthesia started, everything else went off without event and my worries were for nothing. No referred pain this time - yeah!

He is a beautiful little guy and we are enjoying him so much. The boys love him already and love to tell everyone his name.

Nesting

Every day I get preganancy e-mails from WhattoExpect.com. Sometimes they are informative, most everything is something I've been through twice before so it rarely surprises me, but today I got a big chuckle out of the message.

For Dad: Funny, that overstuffed closet never bothered you before, but now you just have to organize it. And that cabinet over there really needs clearing out. Not to mention the basement…. Congratulations, your nesting instincts (dads have them, too, throughout the animal kingdom) have kicked in. Don't be surprised to suddenly find the energy (and the enthusiasm) for compulsive cleaning, painting, and organizing. Run (and dust) with it — it's nature's way of assuring that you'll have a comfy, clean nest for your baby when you all come home. Plus, at 37 weeks pregnant, it keeps your mind off your pre-delivery jitters. Your partner may be in nesting overdrive, too, but don't let her overdo it. (Keep her off ladders, okay?) On the other hand, fatigue may be her overriding instinct right now.

My initial reaction was - yeah, right! But then I thought back to the past week. He went out and bought an air filtration system. He has been researching better vacuums so that the air will be cleaner around here. Yesterday he vacuumed - he even vacuumed fans and blinds.

He may not nest the way that I would - but he does seem to have his own way of nesting! I love the last line of the article "fatigue may be her overriding instinct right now." Being gigantic and having a cold, fear of the pain that comes everytime I bend the wrong way - I am NOT nesting much.... wish I were. So I'm glad that one of us has a little bit of the nesting bug!

Hey Santa

My mom's hospital always has a big Christmas breakfast every year and we get to go and visit Santa there. This is the first year that no one has been afraid of him. They were both really excited to talk to him and we practiced what they wanted to ask for in advance. Jackson asked for Lego Batman and Lincoln wants games for the Wii (he made sure to let him know that he already had a Wii because he got it for his birthday). I thought the picture turned out super cute - hooray for our first good Santa picture!

5 is a Crowd

I'm here writing this at 4am because I'm wide awake. I've learned that 5 people do not fit into one queen-sized bed. And the baby still in my tummy TOTALLY counts as a person right now. The kids and I are fighting head colds. Lincoln never tries to crawl in bed with us unless he isn't feeling well. (Jackson is a different story) Lincoln is such a wiggler that it is impossible for me to sleep while he is trying to sleep - once he is asleep he is just fine, but until then...

I tried to convince him to come and lay down in his own bed. I got up and offered to go and lay down with him, but instead he said, "there is room now." I seem to be the last one to get to use the bed I call mine as I'm the least likely to fight for it. The couch has been my friend for a little while lately as it is such a comfortable couch and it supports the belly better than my bed anyway. I just hope the little guys get some good rest and get feeling better.

It would be super if we were not all contagious when baby arrives!

Gigantic Baby Belly

I have never had a desire to take pregnancy pictures, but since this is my last one and strangers are coming up to me and asking if I'm having twins I thought I might as well record this big ole belly for history's sake. I am officially at 36 weeks - I'm pretty sure I don't need a whole extra month to grow. I'm hoping my 37 week trend continues! I am scheduled for the 28th of this month so I will only go 38 weeks at the latest. I definitely saved all of my weight gain for the very end. It might have something to do with no longer being nauseous and no longer having an aversion to all things sweet. Or maybe there is just a big boy growing in there! Getting anxious to meet the little guy.

Inquiring Minds

Lincoln asked us last night if Jesus chooses our birthday. I told him that was a pretty good question and that I wasn't sure. Then he asked if it was Jesus... or Santa. Well, I'd have to say that between the two, I'm gonna go with Jesus.

Deep Thoughts by Lincoln Poyner

Lincoln has been so full of random questions lately. He is really thinking about things and it is making me smile. Here are a few of his questions:

It's a good thing that there is dirt under the grass so we don't fall through, right?

Did Santa start off as a baby?

(after reading an Amelia Bedelia book where she planted light bulbs instead of flower bulbs) Do you think Adam and Eve planted a light bulb and it grew into the sun? Are Adam and Eve still on earth? Are they back in that place where it was so nice?

Can we live in this house forever? Even when I'm a grandma... oops I mean grandpa I want to live in this house because I like all of our stuff.

In other news: As we were sitting in church today I had a terrible pain on my right side - my whole torso hurt. There were so many people that were so kind to me during those few minutes. I walked out to the foyer in tears and a sweet sister rubbed my neck. Another got her husband so that I could have a blessing. A young man "uncluttered" a room so that it would be ready for me to receive the blessing. Others were willing to watch our boys and make arrangements for them while we went to the hospital.

The pain subsided before we reached the hospital, but they went ahead and hooked me up to the monitors and checked things out. We have debated a number of times about going to the hospital because I've had so many contractions - and often at very regular intervals, but they always stop after an hour or two. It was a relief for both of us to know a little more about how he is doing in there. Everything looked just fine. Our best guess is that he pushed up against a nerve causing the pain. We were back at church in time for half of the third hour.

In even better news: We have a new niece today! More on Emery when I get pictures.

Lincoln is 6!

Last year Lincoln's birthday got lost in the shuffle as I was in the hospital. We tried our best to let him know we were still thinking of him, but this year I couldn't help but really want to make it up to him. We had a hat party with all of the cousins and family. We played musical hats (just like musical chairs, but you had to get a hat on instead of sitting in a chair), hands free donut eating from a string (while keeping your hat on), and a lot of just playing around. Lincoln had some very generous gifts this year - it felt more like Christmas for everyone!

A few weeks ago my dad was cleaning out his attic and asked me if I knew anyone who would like the dollhouse my grandpa made for me when I was a little girl. We wanted it to go to a special home, but didn't think it would end up here as we are a boy family. About a week later I asked Lincoln what he wanted for his birthday and a dollhouse was on the list! Dad found some great furnishings and the boys are enjoying it - using star wars characters instead of dolls. So fun!

Lincoln as been so funny about this birthday. He kept telling everyone that it was not his birthday party because it was not his birthday that day. Then on his real birthday he said, "we forgot to have a party today!" He has told me for a long time that he would be able to read when he was six. Last night when I was reading him a story he asked me to follow along all of the words with my finger so that he could see where I was. I think he is finally willing to try! When he got in the car to go to school that morning he said, "dad, I'm just going to get right in and get my buckle on because that's what six year olds do." This morning he helped unload a few groceries and instead of just putting them on the counter he said, "six year olds know where things go in the pantry."

I think I'm gonna LOVE six!

Missed Meeting with Santa

Last week at Lincoln's school he had an opportunity to meet Santa and have his picture taken. I decided to go ahead and send in the money to support the school and let him have the experience. We talked about what he would ask for and got him all worked up and excited about it. When I asked him how it went he got really upset and said that they wouldn't let him go. "You had to bring money they said!" Apparently the money I sent in wasn't discovered by the teacher until today. He hadn't understood that it was his responsibility to show her the money - and it was a check - I'm not sure he even knows that a check is money!

Anyway, I felt terrible about it as he was nearly in tears (he doesn't cry easily) when we talked about it last week. Today his teacher called to apologize - she had just found the check in his folder and felt really bad about it. When he got home I told him about it and we turned the whole thing around. I asked him if he remembered what he was going to ask for - a Wii. I told him that it really was a good thing that he hadn't told Santa that he wanted a Wii since he got one for his birthday. He smiled and said, "yeah - I guess it was really lucky, wasn't it!"

We'll have to find a different way to meet with Santa and a start a brand new list.

Cheese!

Some quotes from the boys lately:

J: Mom, you wanna sleep with a superhero?
(he was asking me to lay down with him while he was wearing superman jammies)

L: Dad, will you help me with this?
Dad: Sure - if you'll help me with getting dressed
L: Dad, you're too big for that. I can help you pick out a shirt and pants, but you're going to have to put them on yourself.

Glue

Lincoln has a notebook that he is using to glue magazine pictures in that start with the letter of the week. It is his main weekly homework assignment and we've been having fun doing it together. Last night he was not in the mood, but Jackson got into it. He decided he should do his own homework and he has been diligently working on it on and off ever since. He is over there dutifully gluing right now. It reminded me that I meant to post about the dangers of teaching your children about glue sticks. A couple of weeks ago Lincoln felt kind of left out that we decorated the house for halloween while he was at school. He decided to add some decorations of his own while I was in the bathtub. He came in asking "where is more glue because the one I was using is all gone." This did not sound good. He had glued orange paper to the fireplace using great big thick chunks of glue stick. Oh boy. We had yet another little lesson on where glue can and cannot go and what better tools we might use to decorate the house.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

I am no good at keeping a surprise. Nearly every time I get Jeff something that I'm excited to give him I end up telling him about it or he finds out some way. This year was no different. I didn't get him anything big for his birthday, but he also had no surprises - even the gift we brought in the car to the birthday dinner was a spoiled surprise long before we arrived at the restaurant!

Two days before his birthday he needed a lighter for the pumpkin candles on the front porch. Rather than see him suffer through trying to get down in there with matches I pulled out one of his gifts - a pack of lighters with long bendy ends. Something small, but practical and perfect for my pyro guy.

The next day he came in and told me "thanks for the new socks!" Huh? Where did he get those? They were all hidden away. They boys had to take them out of the hiding spot to hide some of their Halloween candy and gave them to him just to get them out of the way.
One gift left. I kept telling the boys all the way to his office as we drove to pick him up that this last gift was a surprise and to let him find out what it was when he opened the wrapping paper. As soon as he got in the car Jackson said, "Dad! We got you a popcorn machine!" Jeff turned up the music really loud when he heard, "we got you..." but they just kept saying it louder and louder. They're as good at keeping a secret as I am. Must be genetic.

We had a lovely time at a hole in the wall Thai restaurant with both sets of our parents and Joe and Tosha. We were the only people there (until one man showed up toward the end) and they gave us a lot of attention. The lady was listening to everything we said and kept bringing out more food according to what she thought we wanted. Tosha was trying to get Lincoln to sit back in his spot by saying, "are there any more spring rolls?" The lady heard it and brought out a whole new batch. So funny. I brought a pan of pumpkin brownies for our dessert (which I think are even better today - not that I've had any yet LOL), but she also brought out a plate of cookies, a plate of chocolates and a plate of fortune cookies.

Hope you had a happy one babe!

Halloween Week - Parts 3 & 4

Yesterday both boys had school parties. Jackson's school had a "Noah's ark" party so that the kids could come dressed as animals. Lincoln's class had an "orange" party. Last night we had our church "pumpkin" party. There were lots of cute games and yummy treats, followed by a parade of trick or treating around the building. I think it's so funny how everyone wants to have halloween parties, but no one calls them that anymore. There was so much busy-ness and I have a cold, so this is about the best picture I got. Oh well.

This morning John and Bettina were in town briefly, so we went and had a nice breakfast with them. Later we had a fun halloween party with our cousins in the afternoon - including a dirty santa type game and we decided we'd had enough halloween for the week! Instead of taking the boys out trick-or-treating again we chose to stay home and pass out candy. I think they had just as much fun doing that. We had TONS of trick-or-treaters and the boys were so generous and gave out their favorite candies first. They would watch the door and run out to greet people when they came with handfulls of candy. We even ran out of the candy that we bought and the boys were perfectly willing to share from the buckets they received the night before. Another great halloween day.

Now to squeeze in two birthdays (Jeff's Monday and Lincoln's on the 24th), Thanksgiving and our anniversary into the next month while we prepare for Christmas - oh yeah, and a baby. : )

Halloween Week - Part Two

Jeff's office had a huge fall celebration last night. In year's past it's most important element was the haunted house, which was really geared more toward adults. It was very well done and pretty spooky - even for me! This year they went more family friendly (since that is who comes to these things anyway for the most part). We had free caricatures made, painted pumpkins, rode horses/ponies, held a baby pig at the little petting zoo, bounced in a moon bounce and shot hoops. There were lots of fun costumes to see and food to enjoy. Another fun night!

Halloween Week Day 1 - Storybook Forest

We have a pretty busy week - something fun every night and we started it off with Family Home Evening with the Woodhouse cousins. They are into Star Wars too, so the costumes worked great together! We went out to lake Arcadia where they had a storybook adventure for the kids to walk through and trick-or-treat. They had lots of neat decor based on famous fairy tales and nursery rhymes. We roasted hot dogs and enjoyed some carnival games and a hay ride. I had mixed emotions as we came home - the kids had such a great time, but poor Lincoln's allergies and asthma were all worked up from the hay and trees. Poor guy. I hate for him to miss out on things like this, but I sure wish he didn't have such a hard time afterward.

In other news I had another ultrasound today. The doctor sent me in just to make sure that everything was going well and it is. He is growing healthy and everything is well. The projected date of birth according to everything they saw today was December 28. It has moved up just as I suspected and I bet it will be even sooner than that! From what I can see in the fuzzy black lines, he has a beautiful little face and I'm getting so excited to meet him.

Star Wars in Concert

Jeff was really determined to take the boys to the Star Wars concert that was in town last night. We had decided that it was too expensive for boys so young, but he found a way (Craigslist) at the last minute and we were able to go. There was a full orchestra playing the songs from the movies and each song was accompanied by a giant screen playing scenes from all of the movies with a central theme (a hero rises, a hero falls, droids, etc.) The kids were mesmerized by the whole thing and stayed very still and paid full attention. They were anxious to see what would be next and anticipated seeing some of their favorite parts and characters. Jackson was disappointed that they didn't have an entire song about the emperor. He told me today that the Star Wars thing was really long, but that he wanted it to be really long because he loved it. Jeff asked Lincoln what he liked about it and he said, "I liked the movie part and the music, but nothing else." He told me that he was tired of all of the clapping. Jackson was too nervous about standing next to a stormtrooper. Lincoln had to take that picture on his own.

On the drive there Lincoln told me that he liked the rain. He said he likes it because it waters gardens that grow things like broccoli, carrots, and ravioli.

At the end of the show they talked about how Darth Vader "finally found peace" and Jackson loudly asked, "why they find pieces of Darth Vader at end?" The group around us got a big kick out of that. Overall it was quite a memorable evening!

And now for some pics of the actual wedding couple

Wedding Weekend

We had a great weekend full of wedding joy for Joe and Tosha. They had a reception Thursday night, Tosha's endowment on Friday and the sealing on Saturday morning. It was great to be there with all of the family and we are thrilled to see them beginning their family together.

What Jackson learned last night

This afternoon when we shared a bowl of popcorn Jackson handed me a piece and asked me to hold it, but not eat it. Then he grabbed a piece and proceeded to arrange our hands so that we were feeding each other. Too funny.

In other news, Lincoln still wants to name our baby "cake," but if he comes before halloween (not gonna happen) we can dress him up as "baby Fett" to match his Bobo Fett costume.

Prematurely Grandmothered

I overheard Lincoln telling Jackson that I was "becoming a grandma." I jumped right in and said, "no I'm not! I become a grandma when you guys start having babies."

Lincoln's response?

"Mooooom, we're BOYS."

Marriage

Jackson gave me a kiss today and said, "Mom - I want to marry you."

I told him that was very sweet, but that I was already married to daddy.

Lincoln overheard the conversation and said softly, "yeah, I wanted to marry you too, but I knew I couldn't."

I feel loved.

Tosha's Shower

We had a fun night last night celebrating Tosha at her bridal shower. I had a fun time decorating with a fall theme. Tosha got lots of great loot. I had to laugh at how things seemed to come in pairs... Each time she opened something she seemed to get the same thing in the next package! We're excited to have Tosha joining the family officially.