After stuffing myself into a skirt and top for church on Sunday, I was bound and determined to get a few nice family pictures of our little family on the weekend of the 24th. I was going to take full advantage of us all coordinating, and me actually being dressed, with my hair done and makeup on.
Here's a few of the pictures my sister got of us at my parent's house, some of which are better than others.
This one is a bit dark, so I might have to put some more time into lightening us up, but I really like it. Besides the fact that we were in the shade on the porch and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, made for a 'noisy' picture. I just remedied it with a vintage action...did some tweaking, and here it is!
{Picture Perfect} is not what I had in mind as I saw this one, but in fact, it is picture perfect of our little family. Goofy big brothers, tired parents, and a somewhat sleepy newborn.
I love how much Kortlen is loved by his big brothers. They simply adore him! I just wish we wouldn't have had the splotchy shade covering in this picture!!!
This photo got a little help to distract from the shadows with a vintage action...
Poor Kortlen is stressed out to the max in this one! (Can't say that I blame him...after all, Tanner is holding him.) I love Tanner and Taylor's expression, but see that over-exposure by Tanner and Kortlen's Head? Yeah...not liking that so much. Maybe I'll play around with this one some more.
This is probably the best of all three, except for the plastic plug in Kortlen's mouth!
And my favorite picture of ALL 279: Taylor was such a turkey!!! This is one of MANY that he was making a face in. The boy has no shame.
So while these may be less than perfection in a studio, I think there were some great moments captured! Thanks to Katelyn, and Ryan, (and my boys) for putting up with a crazy mother, wife, and sister, who definitely needs to take a chill-pill the next time we do family pictures!
Our stay in the hospital with Kortlen was longer than expected.
Because I had high glucose levels, Kortlen's body compensated by producing extra insulin. He was born with a bit of a larger heart and the little tuby thing that usually closes up within a few breaths following birth didn't completely close. In turn, Kortlen weighed 9 lbs 4 ounces, has a heart murmur that he'll grow out of, and had the oxygen to help force his lungs to do the work they are supposed to do. He didn't spend any time in my room, because of all the monitoring. This enabled me to get some rest (as much as one can get when having to walk down to the NICU every 3 hours, spending an hour there, and hobbling back to my room), and more excitingly, got Kortlen and I both on a schedule!
I was trying to encourage some daddy-son bonding time. :) I love to see my big tall man holding our teeny-tiny sons. He puts on a tough shell, but I think his heart melted a bit this day.
I spent a lot of hours in the NICU with Kortlen, trying to nurse, and just trying to stay posted. We had the most wonderful nurses!
After two days, Kortlen was doing well enough to be 'promoted' to the upstairs NICU, apparently called "Heaven" because of the more relaxed atmosphere and more space. I got more exercise in the three days I stayed at the hospital than I did all my pregnancy, just because of going back and forth from my room to see see my baby!
By day three, Ryan and a dear friend gave Kortlen a sweet priesthood blessing, and his doctor said he was well enough to go home the following day; four days earlier than expected. I am grateful for the healing power of the priesthood, and to wonderful staff and doctors who cared for us!
Here's a picture of our little guy ready to come home...
So we came home on Sunday, and were able to relax a little bit. Thanks to my mom, Kortlen and Ryan and I were able to get some much needed rest before big brothers came home! My mom was gracious and kept the boys for a week.
When they did get home, they were SO excited to meet their new little brother!
We are so blessed to have three of the most beautiful boys! I am excited to see how life unfolds for us...Here comes more adventures!
So I had an entire post, about 97 pages long, and just deleted it. :) On purpose. I read through it for spelling errors, etc, and couldn't read very far...it was too boring.
The quick and easy version of Kortlen's arrival goes something like this:
We went to the hospital at 12:30 am on Thursday. (Thank you Karen for sleeping on our couch so our boys weren't alone all night!) I told my nurses I'd really like to try going natural, figuring I'd have the baby faster on my own than being induced (my induced labors were about 9 hours). My nurses were fabulous...didn't even get me an iv...just intermittent monitoring, flavored ice chips, a tv remote, lots of walking, and humming through contractions. I forgot how uncomfortable the harder ones were.
When morning came, I had my doctor break my water, sent Ryan to get some breakfast, and we waited. And waited. And waited. I was getting really frustrated, and really tired of waiting. I wasn't progressing as much as I thought I should be, and was getting discouraged.
Lunch came, and I again, sent Ryan to get something to eat. For him, of course, as I could only have ice chips. :) By about noon, the contractions were getting stronger, enough that humming through them wasn't helping me out. I told my nurse I wanted the epidural, and so she tried starting an IV. After four tries, and right before she was going to call in the anesthesiologist, I told her I REALLY needed to use the potty...she suggested that I let her check to see how far along we really were...and I was at a NINE!
So things quickly got set up, I tracked down my sweet husband who was eating lunch with our boys and his parents at our house, and told him he was needed...and to come quick!
Ryan walked in the room at 12:50, and after much vocal expression (my dad's entire herd of cattle would have run for cover for how loudly I was mooing!!!) Baby Boy Poulsen, all 9 pounds and 4 ounces of him, FINALLY arrived! Our Big Baby Boy was born at 1:23 in the afternoon. Thirteen hours (6 hours longer than I thought it would be) after arriving at the hospital.
Bless my sweet husband and my wonderful nurses for reminding me to 'pull myself together', to 'take control', and to 'breathe'. Not that I actually followed through with any of that, but it was nice to hear their encouraging words. Especially the 'just one more push!' for seven whole minutes.
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Why natural? Because I was empowered by the thought that my body would know what to do, and I had heard recovery was better. And honestly, it has been a more quick recovery. As far as being empowered? Well, I am pretty proud of myself for making it out alive and in one piece...and I'm sure my husband is glad to have his head still attached.
Would I do it again? Ehhh...not right now. It was hard. And I was a wimp. When I say I was mooing...that's putting it lightly. I was screaming bloody murder. It hurt. And to think I thought it would be easier than being induced and having an epidural...yeah right.
A while back, my mom gave me some of my brothers' old clothes for my kiddos...
And because I've had our bags packed (mine for the hospital and the boys for going to gramma's) for over a week, I'm tired of pulling out of the boys' bags and washing their swim suits...
So I pulled out these bad boys...My brothers probably wore them when they were 7 or something...
Welcome back, Glory Days and Speedos!!!
Today involved more laying around than jumping and splashing, which was FINE with me.
Oops! Is that my belly in the way? Again?
My kind of a sunny-seventy-nine-degree afternoon. Just Relaxin'.
And getting warm on a blistering sidewalk when the pool is full of grass and has cooled off...
Remember laying on the hot sidewalk in your swimsuit to get warm? I remember even slurping the water off the sidewalk when I was younger...yuck! Good times, good times.
I love nap time. Especially when I'm tired and need a nap myself. But when I can't get comfy on the couch, I have to have my hands busy.
Here's a little project I started and finished during the boys' naptime...(Call us crazy, but we still insist on Taylor AND Tanner taking a nap every day. Sometimes Tanner get's off the hook, like once or twice a month, but both boys lay down on their beds for a good 1.5 - 2 hour nap. Some days are easier than others to get them to sleep, but they TOTALLY need their sleep, and recently, so do I. :) I will be very sad when the day comes that Tanner downright REFUSES to take a nap. I remember coming home and laying on the floor after Kindergarten to watch Sesame Street and falling asleep...those were the good ole' days...when we played so hard and had so much fun we didn't have time for trouble...usually.)
I debated and went back and forth between ties and velcro straps, and when it came right down to it, I was lazy and didn't want to sew through velcro, so they're tied...I guess I can always go back and change it...
I love stars...and so do the boys. I really liked this fabric and thought it would be fun to go with the already blue car seat the other two boys have used. (Funny, how each of my boys has been 'designated' a color; Tanner: Blue, Taylor: Green, and this little guy is probably going to get stuck with orange or something...)
I am so excited I got it done!
But I'd be even more excited if there was a little baby boy in the car seat.
Now, onto washing the floor, making a camera bag for my 'diaper-bag' camera so it can have a rest from being beat-up in my purse, and maybe the blessing outfit???
Today I am officially 40 weeks with this little bundle of joy...Maybe he's waiting for us to talk and decide on a name? Nahhhhh...
Come today, little one, PLEASE!
I haven't posted much about this pregnancy, other than how large I feel. So here's the rundown:
It's been harder on my body than the others have. Between excruciating sciatic nerve pain that was alleviated by numerous chiropractic visits, and round ligament pains that left me doubled over holding my groin, I am determined to be IN SHAPE and ACTIVE and EXERCISING REGULARLY before the next one comes...who's to say when that is. Really though, let's get this one out and potty trained, first!
I've gained much more weight with this little guy than the others, and I'm looking forward to getting into a good (not to mention intense) exercise routine. We're talking I would love to loose a good 50 pounds before Christmas THIS YEAR...I'd REALLY like to loose more like 65 total. Man, that sounds like hard work. And a lot of it. So, if any of you have any suggested post-baby routines you liked till you felt like you could hit the gym or the mountain side, I'd love some input!
There aren't many shots of my pregnant belly out there for the public to see...and that's because I'm embarrassed at how big I am. I think there are some very tasteful and beautiful belly pictures that would be fun to have, but at the same time, none of them would be of my road-mapped and pasty white belly. So, sorry. Trust me. Be glad you don't have to see any of those attempts. :)
With the others I was induced anywhere from 3-5 days AFTER their due dates...so something tells me he'll take his sweet time. I'm really wanting to go into labor on my own, and try to go naturally...something my body has never been allowed to do before. However, I know my body can do this! It's just a matter of my brain (and my sweet husband) being able to handle it. Wish us luck!
So, {Today, PLEASE!} would be nice. I've kept pretty busy with keeping the house somewhat clean so my sweet mom or mother-in-law don't feel like they have to clean if they come over the get the kids. I've made bread twice a week for the past two weeks, cookies, cinnamon rolls (I can see where the extra weight is coming from) and other treats to freeze for my family. I've organized, and reorganized various rooms and spaces in our small apartment. I walked every morning last week, at least 2 miles, but as much as 5 to get things moving along, only to have my hips aching for hours afterward... So, I guess that nothing I do will make this little guy come. He'll come when he's ready, I suppose.
I honestly thought I would be in the hospital early this morning after contractions kept me up til 4am this morning. They weren't regular, so I didn't worry, but I kept hoping...Three more days till I'm 'overdue'. I am so ready, and so not ready.
{Perks} of not knowing what the future holds...Spontaneity...
It's hard to plan lots of outings, or make big plans when we're waiting on the un-expected.
So, today, we decided to pull out the pool this morning and let some water get warm with the sun's rays...not knowing if we'd actually be able to use it...in case baby brother decided to come today. Lucky for two little boys, their brother is not here, so they were able to play and have some fun.
{Perks} of not knowing what the future holds...Daddy Fun...
I'm trying REALLY hard to see the positive side in Ryan not having a job yet. It's been nice to have him home to help with the boys, and for them to play, and for him to help around the house. However...I can't help but be nervous not knowing what the next few months have in store for us. He puts in hours of searching, applying for and looking for positions here locally, and not so local...like Texas, and California. That's a LONG way from home, but if it pays the bills, well, I can't complain. I'm sure Heavenly Father is getting weary of my pleadings and prayers...But these boys are loving having daddy around.
{Perks} of not knowing what the future holds...time to enjoy...
It doesn't look it, but it took some convincing to get these boys to do anything but sit or stand in the water. They were ALMOST ready to 'throw in the towel' when Ryan and I encouraged them to make the biggest splashes they could. It took one run from the hot sidewalk to the pool to find out they could have much more funthan sitting there, looking at us!
{Perks} of not knowing what the future holds...time to relax...
Need I say more?
After playing for only 15 minutes or so, a big, black storm cloud rolled in with thunder and lightening, we gathered our things and headed in the house, much to the dismay of two very sad boys...
...another day, we'll have the perk of being able to enjoy the sunshine...another day.
This is one of Tanner's favorite Primary Songs...he loves to sing the parts he remembers.
Well, since I've been home the last week and a half, something we've loved doing is painting.
But not just ANY painting.
Painting ROCKS!!!!
The boys have about three dozen rocks painted and in a pile...on the kitchen table...on the porch...out back (the ones I've tried to discreatly discard of) and they keep wanting more! They beg to go 'rock hunting' every day. It's a nice chance to use the $1 watercolors they got in their Easter Baskets, but also to relax. :) I love quiet time. I'm now out of paper bags to paint on...so next time we go grocery shopping, I suppose I'll be asking for PAPER instead of PLASTIC!
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I've realized since 'being home' the last week and a half, that {home} is where I'm supposed to be. It's where my children and husband need me to be. It's where I want to be.
While working the last two years, I would get tired of being home for a few days and tell myself I couldn't wait to get out of the house and back to work...but I feel completely opposite at this moment in time. Make that...this last week.
I know I have a work to do, but it's not in an office or a school building or under the supervision of someone who makes six figures. My work is here. With my family.
Just today I was able to: wash my blinds, take out the extra slats, wash my curtains, and greenery garland, wash and reassemble both baby car seats, clean out the trunk of the car from the weekend fun, make banana bread, watch a friends' children for a few hours, read to my boys, paint with my boys, play cars with my boys, listen to them fire torpedoes from their airplane to get the aliens, read a conference talk in the Ensign, visit with my husband, do two loads of wash, fix breakfast, lunch, and dinner, AND do the dishes, sweep the floor, fix a button on Taylor's shorts, bind a baby quilt my MIL made, do some mending, help Taylor go potty (even though he didn't go, I tried to heed his request and let him try), call and remind my scouts about our activity tomorrow, and vacuum the apartment. I know I'm 'nesting', but at the same time, it was very therapeutic to serve my family. And then take a walk with them after all of this to enjoy their teasing and giggles. Granted, I made a to-do list for the next three days, with only four items for each day, but once I got going, I was on a roll...and there was no stopping this freight train!
Tomorrow is more low-key: A dr. appointment, scout activity, and making bread, cinnamon rolls, and dinner rolls for the next few days. That's it. But who's to say I won't start scrubbing down my kitchen cabinets or organizing the bookshelves and desk in the living room. ;)
I am enjoying this 'stay-at-home-mom' thing quite a bit. There are moments (okay, maybe long moments, like getting settled for nap time) that we are far from perfect and have little scolds, but for the most part, I am enjoying being a mother. A wife. ME.
Many blogging friends have posted this short video, and I 'procrastinated' watching it, because I've been so 'busy'...My little sister texted me the other day encouraging me to watch it, and when I did, I just cried buckets!!! It hit a few heart-strings, and is very real. It is a wonderful message, and I would encourage you to watch it if you haven't already. Be sure to pause my music.
"Through the thick and the thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God's work. I know that my motherhood is an eternal partnership with Him."
We were supposed to go to the Stadium of Fire with my family for Clay's Eagle & a family reunion, but because I could have this baby any day, we decided to forgo his birth in the car on I-15 (I had a nightmare about this a few months ago) and ended up in Rexburg with Ryan's family...A quick (ha, ha!) run-down of our celebrations:
We went to the parade and almost froze! Actually, I thought it felt quite nice, but I have a little oven...as you can see, everyone else was a bit chilled.
The boys made a haul on candy...those are GALLON bags, filled with candy and tooth brushes. Score!
After an indoor picnic, we braved the outdoors to play some ball, jump on the tramp, and mow the lawn. It was a very nice afternoon, with a light breeze in the 60's, and beautiful sunshine and shade.
These next five pictures are probably my favorite from the entire day...Brotherly Love, I tell ya!
...and he's down!
So the boys were pretty well behaved at Grandma and Grandpa Poulsen's house...for TWELVE hours!!! Ryan and I were pleasantly surprised.
We left about 9:00 pm after baths and changing into jammies, where the boys argued almost the entire way home over whether or not they could or couldn't see the fireworks from the car...Reminded me of the Fourth's we celebrated as kids...we'd leave to see the fireworks, and before we could get out of the driveway, we'd turn around and stay home because we were arguing, pinching, fighting, kicking, on, and on, and on... Well, that's the way it went most years.
By the time we got back to Idaho Falls, the Melaleuca Firework Show was well underway...we snaked our way around closed roads, and ended up a few blocks from our house in a parking lot, where Ryan pulled over so we could see the fireworks...and I think it was the best view!!! We enjoyed 30 minutes of the show and then headed home to bed.
I am truly thankful for the freedoms we enjoy, even if our government seems to be falling apart. We spent Sunday worshiping at church, and there's no doubt in my mind, that my God made it possible for us to have the freedom to worship Him. We are very blessed, and I am ever grateful for those soldiers who have fought for these freedoms...past, present, and future.
