3 months old!

Tyler is 3 months old today. He's weighing in right around 13.5 lbs. He loves to be tickled, but hates to be thrown up in the air. He sleeps really well, I typically get a 5-7 hour stretch. He is constantly chewing on his fingers. He's beginning to be able to scoot by pushing up on his legs. He's just starting to reach for things and once he grabs them, he pulls them to his mouth. His babble is mostly coos, but I hear an occasional b or m sound in there. He is such an easy baby and we are so glad he joined our family!

About a week and a half ago we went down to Arizona to visit my family and attend my high school reunion. The boys had a lot of fun. Ryan went on a motorcycle ride with Grandpa. We played lots of games with Katrisa. Wes had a “modified” nerf gun collection that the boys enjoyed, and Grandma made us lots of yummy food. We brought Chloe down with us, and she had fun playing with Wes's cat Zed. While she was out in the backyard one time, one of the chickens got out and she scared the chicken, which then hopped over the fence. It took us about 45 minutes to catch the silly thing and get it back into its coop.

The boys got Burger King crowns on the way down.

Playing Monopoly Jr.

Flying the helicopter

My reunion was kind of lame. It was fun to see people, especially Candice and Meg. We went the the BBQ on Saturday morning (which was really hot!) and the dinner/dance that evening. After dinner it seemed like everyone just wanted to hit the bar, so Candice, Meg, and I, along with our significant others left early to go to Village Inn and get some pie.

We spent this week recovering from the trip and spending some time outside. Yesterday the boys and I did a bike ride (I pushed Tyler in the stroller) to help raise money for a friend with a rare liver disease. We only lasted a mile, but the boys had fun and took really good naps that afternoon!

Ryan has been busy drawing pictures:

Our Famleeey: I am the hairy one, Derek and Ryan are jumping on trampolines and Tyler is under Clayton

Ryan drew me three types of a flowers: a daisy, a velvet rose, and a sunflower

Dad's dinosaur

Ryan is counting by 5's, except he skipped 90. Close enough...

Derek gets naked whenever he gets the chance. I was feeding Tyler inside the house while the boys were playing outside in the pool. Derek said he wanted to come in so I told him to take off his swim trunks just inside the door so he didn't drip all over the house. The next thing I know, he's back outside running around in the buff. We'll have to break him of that habit one of these days.

Tyler is starting to hold his head up a little higher during tummy time. Savannah gave me the idea to put a pillow underneath him and it has made a huge difference. He's cooing a lot these days and loves to be tickled.

My mom came out to visit this past week. The boys had a really good time with her and it was nice having an extra set of hands. One the boy's favorite things to do with her was making crafts. She ordered a couple of kits and together they got to make paper bag monsters, and cardboard tube sea creatures. Grandma also spent a lot of time reading to the boys. This was the first time that that she got to meet Tyler, and she was really good and making him smile and coo. It was really nice visit.

Clayton also celebrated his 32nd birthday this week. My mom left on his birthday, so we did most of the celebrating a day early. I made cannoli and a raspberry zinger cake. The morning of his birthday, I made biscuits and gravy, We got him a water filter that he can take hiking. That night we ended up in town because Tyler had a strong reaction to his shots earlier that day. While we were out we decided to stop at Firehouse Subs for dinner. We didn't get to crazy, but I hope it was a good birthday for Clayton.

Clayton had Friday off of work so we took the boys and Chloe up to an off leash dog park in Evergreen. It's a really pretty spot up in the mountains. There are trails that meander through the trees like an easy hike/nature walk. This is our second time going to this location and we really enjoyed it! We came a little unprepared, though. On our way, we realized that we forgot Chloe's leash so we stopped at Walmart to pick one up. Then when we got to the Elk Meadow, we found that we'd also forgot the carrier for Tyler so we had to hike with him in our arms. It's a good thing he's not to heavy yet! There were only a few tears and one scraped knee, but overall a successful and enjoyable family outing.

Yesterday was the Fourth of July. We kicked things off with our ward pancake breakfast. The boys and I went to the parade in Byers, while Clayton helped some friends load of their moving van. Those same friends came over for lunch, where we barbecued some brats and had homemade Butterfinger ice cream. After they left, we spent the rest of the day hanging out as a family. At dusk we lit off some fireworks and watched some lit off by others. The boys were a little tired this morning since they were up so late, but it was worth it!

Ryan is getting so smart! During singing time today, I was teaching the song "Come Follow Me." He helped me read some of the words. It was a proud Mommy moment! He also left me a note on the door this week that said something like, "Mom, I left all of this mess for you to clean up." He has a book of puzzles, and all of the pieces ended up on the floor. I didn't appreciate the mess, but the note made me smile.

Derek's favorite food lately has been 'cheesy dibbles.' The term comes from a movie he likes to watch. He refuses to call them 'cheetos' and insists that they are 'cheesy dibbles.' Another one of my favorite things Derek has been doing lately is calling chocolate milk 'hot chocolate milk.' I'll ask him if he wants it warmed up, and he tells me he wants "cold hot chocolate milk." It's really cute!

Tyler turned 2 months old on Wednesday and had his doctor's appointment. He weighs 11lbs 4 oz, he's 22.5 inches long, and he's in the 40% for head circumference. We were pretty surprised since our kids typically have much smaller heads. He is starting to smile a lot more and is just starting to coo and make a squeaky kind of laugh. He has just recently discovered his hands and hits himself constantly in the face as he tries to look at them. 

I forgot to post this a few days ago. Tyler FINALLY lost his umbilical cord. They say they typically fall off between 7-14 days. At his two week check up the doctor pulled and played with it and it came off the next day at 15 days old. Check out that cute belly button.

Tyler's Birth Story

At my last doctor's appointment, I wasn't dilated at all and baby was still sitting up high so it was decided that I would go into the hospital the night before instead. We were scheduled to come in Thursday evening at 10 PM on April 30, 2015. Clayton was just called to be a  seminary teacher and had a training meeting down in Parker that same evening at 7, so I just went with him and we dropped the boys off a little early. My friend Krysten watched them for us, and they were pretty excited to have a sleepover with their friends.

Just before heading into the Parker Adventist Hospital, we stopped at Red Robin for a hamburger, a "last meal." I've been craving a really juicy hamburger this whole pregnancy and was finally able to get it! I don't think I've ever enjoyed a hamburger more than that one.

We then went to the hospital. It was raining pretty hard that evening so Clayton dropped me off at the front. Since it was past visiting hours, we had to go in through the ER entrance. He parked the car and we walked over to the maternity wing. They took us to room 302 and there we waited an hour before they were able to get things started. Apparently they were pretty busy. Around 11, they started taking my information and getting me hooked up to the monitors and put my IV in. I was given the Cytotec just before midnight, which is supposed to help me to start dilating. This time they were able to give it to me orally, which was a nice change from the other two times. My doctor also prescribed me some sleeping medicine, which I was happy to take. They came and checked me at 3:30 AM and I still hadn't progressed very far so they gave me another round of Cytotec. Almost instantly my contractions picked up. Not too long afterwards, I asked Clayton if it was too early to get my epidural. Clayton said that if I felt like I needed it, I should get it. Unfortunately one of the other ladies requested it just before me so I had to wait a little while before I could get it. When it was myu turn, the anesthesiologist gave me two options, one that would wear off after two hours (this was around 5:30 am) but would give me almost instant relief, or the typical epidural that takes some time to take effect and is a little more invasive. I opted for the traditional epidural because I thought there was no way I would have that baby in two hours. Both the nurse and the anesthesiologist said that I was doing a really good job breathing through the contractions, which made me feel good since I haven't had any sort of "natural birth training." Once I got the epidural I decided it was time to take a nap. I turned on some relaxing piano music and prepared myself to wait awhile. At 6:18 AM I was talking to Clayton and all of sudden I felt a 'pop' and my water broke. With the other two pregnancies, they broke my water for me, so this was the first time I had it break on its own. There was some meconium in the fluid, so that was bit of a concern, but they just made sure to have someone from the NICU when he came. Once again I got ready to try and take a nap, but shortly after my contractions really picked up, even with the epidural, and I started to feel some pressure. I called the nurses in just to check, I thought surely it wasn't time to have the baby yet! But Tyler was ready to come. My doctor came in and had to hold his head in while they got everything set up for the delivery, When they were ready, we waited for the next contraction, After two pushes, Tyler Wheeler Shaw entered the world at 7:18 AM on May 1, 2015 weighing 6lbs 9 oz. and 19.5 inches long. He had the cord wrapped around his neck three times and was a little blue when he first came out. He recovered quickly though and I was able to hold him right away. There were two other babies born within an hour of Tyler, so the staff was stretched pretty thin. It's okay though, because it meant that I got lots of skin to skin time with him.

This was by far the easiest and fastest delivery. Originally my induction was scheduled for May 5, but I'm glad we moved it up with both the meconium and the cord wrapped around his neck. We were able to avoid a lot of problems!

After a few hours, they moved us to room 308, where we spent the rest of the time. Clayton picked up the boys from Krysten's house later that afternoon and brought them to meet their little brother for the first time. They both have done so well and it's very apparent that they love Tyler.

The recovery has been pretty smooth. I was able to come home the next day (Saturday) from the hospital. Since being home we are beginning to adjust. The first two nights, Tyler didn't sleep very well during the night. I think he had his nights and days mixed up. On night three and for the rest of the first week, he only woke up once a night! It was really nice to get some decent sleep. Now that the sleepiness has worn off, he wakes up 2-3 times a night. He's gaining weight like a champ, too. He dropped down to 6 lbs 4 oz, but at his two week check up he was up to 7 lbs 2.5 oz.

The Monday after Tyler was born, Clayton's mom came out to help. It was a huge help having her here. She took really good care of me. She cooked all the meals, made sure I took a nap every day, watched the two younger ones as I picked Ryan up from preschool, and was an extra set of hands whenever I needed it. We were really sad to see her leave on Friday. 

Since then we are starting to settle into a routine. There are moments when I have felt like a horrible mom because I've lost my temper with Ryan and Derek. It's hard to find the balance of spending time with them and meeting the needs of Tyler. It helps to remember that this is only temporary and it is really a crazy time. But we are so happy to have Tyler here. He is already such an essential part of the family. We love him so much and are so glad that he is finally here!

Sunday morning reflections

Tyler made his big debut On May 1, 2015. Everything went really smoothly. I will post the birth story later. Today I'm sitting here, nursing this sweet little boy. I just wanted to write down a few of my thoughts.

I had forgotten how hard this really is. The first two days were really smooth and I felt really good. I am so in love with this little boy, but now the sleep deprivation is setting in. I came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon and real life began. I have two other little boys that need their mom. It's a bit overwhelming trying to balance it all. Derek especially is struggling. My milk is starting to come in and my breasts are tender. Despite the smooth delivery, there is still a healing process that must occur. I know that things will get easier, but it's really hard right now.

Because I've been through this two times before, I know that things will get easier and that this will all be worth it. The boys are at church and I am home alone with Tyler. It's been nice to have a little quiet time. I need to remember to take things easy, to cut myself some slack. Nobody expects me to have a perfect house this week or in the weeks to follow. There will be tears , there will be sleepless nights, and there will be plenty of physical pain to deal with. But I can get through this. I need to look for the good each day and remember how much we love this little boy. We worked so hard to get him here. The momentary pain and discomfort will all be worth it because he's part of our eternal family.

Baby Shower

My good friend, Krysten, threw my baby shower this past weekend. It turned out really nice! It was fun to celebrate the upcoming arrival of this little guys. We are three weeks out from my due date. We will see when he makes his big debut!

The Inviation

Angie Redd, Krysten Robison, Harata Friedrich

Randilinn and Avelyn Marquis

Christa Sorenson, Julia Bell, Julie Reynolds, Hannah McDaniel

Heartfelt Prayers

Last night Ryan was saying family prayers and it went something like this:

 "Please bless us all to die...So we can be resurrected liked Jesus."

Let's just hope he gets a delayed answer to that prayer.

Easter

We had a really nice Easter weekend, with one exception. Poor little Derek had croup and we had to take him into the the doctor on Saturday morning. I had spent the last 3 nights sleeping on an air mattress with him and his cough didn't seem to be getting any better. Over the last couple of days, his temperature had been sitting somewhere between 103 and 105. He was miserable and didn't seem to be getting any better so we decided it was time to take him in. The doctor was able to give him some steroids and within an hour or two there was a dramatic improvement. Thankfully, he was able to enjoy the weekend festivities a little bit more.

Derek at the doctor's office rocking his smiley face mask.

On Saturday, the boys had fun decorating Easter eggs. When I got to the store, all they had left were the Jumbo sized eggs, so the plastic wraps that came with the egg dying kit did not fit. It was still a lot of fun and the boys made some beautiful Easter eggs.

The Easter bunny came and the boys woke up to a fun surprise on Easter morning. They both got new church shirts and ties, a new movie, Big Hero 6, and LOTS of candy!

The Easter Bunny also hid the eggs we had previously decorated. The boys had fun on Sunday morning finding the eggs hidden throughout the backyard. The weather has been really mild lately so he was able to hide them outside this year.

Can't quite reach it!

 General Conference weekend also fell on Easter weekend this year so we got to spend most of the weekend listening the the inspired messages of the leaders of our church. It really helped to keep the focus on Christ.

All the festivities must have worn out the boys. They missed most of the last session of conference.

We ended the day with a nice Easter dinner and a lesson about the true meaning of Easter. I think Ryan is getting old enough that he can start to comprehend the significance of the Resurrection. I am so grateful for my Savior and his sacrifice for me. I know that he lives and that he loves us. Because of his sacrifice, I can be with my family forever and nothing brings more joy to me than that knowledge.