Vigues' House of Happiness

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Baby, We're Blessed!

Back in March (yes, that would be over 3 months ago!) Cole was blessed at church. It was a beautiful experience and he was so good with all the craziness of the day.

(I made little Cole his own suit for it! We meant to take pictures...but he got a Pavlik 25/7 the next Tuesday, so that didn't quite work out as planned!)

We got to have fun with Tyler's mom and sister's family and our might-as-well-be-family Uncle Corey and Aunt Jenni. We love spending time with family and are so grateful they could all be there!

We could not get a picture where Jack kept his hands off his face and I kept my eyes open (so we'll put up the hands-on-face, since I'm doing all the work here!).

Can you believe how big our family has gotten? I still find myself counting kids and saying, "5?!? Dude, we have 5 kids! Crazy."

Cole, lately

Um, it has been a while. You are correct. Last you heard, Cole was born.

Here are some selections since January 3rd!

1 week, sleeping like a baby!

2 weeks, checking out the world!

3 weeks, discovering literature (Amelia loved reading to him--it was a great way to get her involved without mauling him!!)

1 month (lookin' sharp in his sweet dressed-up-duds from Grammy). With Great-Grampa Larry and Great-Gramma Diane at the Martins'

6 weeks (working on head control)

2 months (I think they like each other...)

As a side note, just after he hit 2 months, Cole went in to Shriners' to check for (DDH) hip dysplasia(due to Amelia's history). He checked out awesomely in all his well checks so I nearly cancelled the appt--boys are also way less likely to have DDH. Unfortunately, the ultrasound on his hips showed DDH. BOOOO! Fortunately, we caught it early due to the family history factor (lesson? If you have close family history of DDH, get your kid checked between 1 and 2 months!) so he's rocking the Pavlik Harness. You will notice mostly onesies due to that!

He's 3 months in these picts. Look how happy he is in the harness!

Unlike his sister, he did not mind the harness. It set back his sleep a little, but he was generally happy after the first few days. He pretty much wore onesies or sleepers. We could still swaddle his arms. Tummy time was pretty impossible, since he was in the harness pretty much 24/7. That meant no baths if we could avoid it. No awesome clothes. It stunk since he'd learned to roll from front to back around 6 weeks (thus leading to the incident with the couch introducing him to the floor. Ouch. Maybe the harness preserved his health...) so he couldn't develop some gross motor skills.

But...let's be honest, it is WAY better than the Spica cast!! We can still nibble on his tummy and change his diaper simply!

More sister love around 3 months. Sheridan loves to play mommy!

Awwww! Peaceful sleep! (4 months)

I just want to eat him up!!

At his 4 month orthopedic visit, his hips were almost 100%!! That earned Cole 4 hours of harness-free time! Welcome back to your tummy, kid!

(He figured out how to work his core. Managed to flip himself from front to back within a week, but wasn't consistent with it).

Cute 5 month-old babe! He loves getting all swaddled up for sleeping!

So, at his orthopedic check this week, the ultrasound showed some ossification!!! Can I get a woot?

What, who cares?

Well, it just shows that his hip and femur are enjoying some perfect contact! Although the percentages for hip coverage haven't changed, the bone development shows that the few percentages the coverage is off isn't causing a problem. So we're off the Pavlik harness during the day!! His appointment was Tuesday and he'd figured out rolling from back to front to back to front by Saturday. Can't keep our Cole down!

BTW, this little guy is a total sweetheart. He has such a mild, pleasant nature. He laughs a lot and only really gets upset when he's hungry, tired, or poopy. Or when a bigger sibling is tripping over him. So blessed to have this little monkey in our family!

Speaking of monkeys, I'll throw in some fantastic picts my friend Rebecca took of Cole when he was 6 weeks. Enjoy!

A Little too Two

(Sometimes it isn't easy being the 4th kid. Your mom and dad forget to take pictures of you because the big kids have so much big stuff going on. Add to it your big sister having a birthday the day before yours, and your mom just might have already gotten birthday burn-out by the time your birthday rolls around.

Especially if she just had a baby 5 weeks prior. And 3 other kids' parties and birthdays to plan between Halloween and February 11th. She is not, after all, Super Mom. Because Super Mom can plan a little better to spread out those birthdays throughout the year.

So, it shouldn't surprise you that the blog post about your birthday doesn't go up until June, even though your birthday was in February.

Fortunately, you won't figure out how neglected you are until you're older.

Like, 3 or 4.

But then you chuckle and realize that your little brother probably will only have 3 pictures of his childhood, all taken the same week that mom realized she hadn't pulled out the camera in months.)

Amelia turned 2 in February! She was so excited to be 2!

So, we started the morning off the right way--with gifts! She really liked that part. The gift unwrapping at Christmas (not to mention ALL of her siblings unwrapping their birthday gifts for months WITHOUT sharing!) had primed her for this year's present-unwrapping. It's a good skill to have. She played with Mega Blocks and her little walking puppy and the myriad other toys ALL MORNING. It was a little slice of heaven for everyone involved.

Sadly, Amelia got the burned-out remains of mommy's cake-bakin' skills. She wouldn't settle on what sort of cake she wanted, there was not party to throw, so...

She got the sickly looking kitten cake, decorated right after dinner with frosting left over from Sheridan's birthday party. I think it was a 10 minute job from once the base coat went on. I was honestly embarrassed to present it to her, but she LOVED it. Phew! Thank goodness kids just turning 2 aren't the biggest critics (well, at least of cake decor!).

She was so excited for the cake!!! The fire!!! The song!!!

Finally!!!!!! The experience she'd been dreaming of for 4 months was HERS!!! Wicked-crazy cat cake and all!

Cake was YUMMY.

How much cuteness can you cram into one little body?

Amelia is still one of the most gregarious, pleasant kids we've ever met. She just climbs right up into laps and turns the lap-owner into a puddle of gooey sentiment. This little girl ADORES people and wants to be adored right back. We try really hard not to spoil her, but she is pretty irresistible. Mia (as she calls herself) loves to sing and dance. She likes to pretend that Sheridan gives her dance lessons. Heck, the girl loves to pretend--she's a kitten, a baby T-Rex (rrrow), a mommy... The girl is opinionated about what she wears, what books we read to her (and she LOVES reading, esp Sandra Boynton), and what Daddy wears after work (she thinks it's her job to convince him to change from his suit and tie into a t-shirt).
At age 2, Amelia is 35" tall (78th %) and 24.5 lbs (40th %). She seems so tiny, though!
Favorite color: Yellow (but she also loves pink and purple)
Favorite food: She says pizza...but it varies day to day.
Favorite animal: Mia LOVES animals, but probably kitties. She also loves dinosaurs and any other animal that has been rescued by Dora or Diego.
Favorite shows: Super Why, Little Einsteins, Dora and Diego

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Birthday for Shei

Turning 6 is super-fun (we have it on good authority from a fairly new six-year old).

You might get to go on a ballet-date with your dad.

You might get to meet a queen and a king...

Maybe even meet a princess!

(at BYU's production of The Sleeping Beauty)

And if you're really lucky, you'll meet a good fairy!

Then, you might get to have a sweet fairy-themed party with 6 of your closest friends!

You might get to make a flower crown (with only a little help from Mom).

You might look super-duper cute in said crown.

You might even get to paint (PAINT!!!) a dreamy fairy of your very own.

If you wear a smock, that is.

You might pretend that those super-cool fairies don't look like butterflies with popsicle sticks for legs. Pink will make them legit.

You just might get a cool cake with large frosting roses and some good fairies on top.

And it might even have SIX candles on top. Because it is your sixth birthday and all.

Your mom and dad might take blurry shots with their camera phone while you and your friends eat the tasty cupcakes YOU decorated!

And then, your dad might get free tickets to a BYU men's basketball game that VERY night! And more blurry camera phone pictures might be taken. Maybe.

And then, you might wake up the next morning and think, "has this all been a dream?" And then you will probably realize that it WASN'T a dream, but that today is your actual birthday and those other events were just leading up to PRESENTS! That might make the morning of your birthday pretty exciting for a Sunday.

You should probably wear a flower crown. It gives you the perfect present-opening look.

Then, perhaps, you can wrap up the fun of the actual birthday with more candles and a big piece of that cake. Because nothing says "Happy Birthday" quite like a piece of cake.

We can't believe that this Sher Bear of ours is SIX!!!

She is an amazing reader and is reading at a high 2nd grade level.
Sheridan is a fantastic helper, when she's in the mood to help. She is great with little kids and can sometimes get them to do what they should when I can't get them to do!
Favorite color is MAGENTA (funny story from her party--when asked their favorite colors, 3 of the girls from her class said their favorite color was magenta. Wonder where they learned that from?)
Sheridan's favorite meal is white chili. She pretty much loves all chili, so long as it isn't too spicy. Oh, and she loves tacos, taco soup, and chicken tortilla soup. And pizza.
This is a girl who cannot be swayed once she decides something. For example: until she was 3, she loved milk, eggs, and bananas. Every day, she demanded them. One by one, something happened and she decided she DETESTED the aforementioned foods (I tried to make her finish her eggs and a banana when she didn't want to, someone tried to make her drink her milk that had become a little warm). 3 years later, she still won't touch them.
This tenacity of opinion can be a good thing, too. When she decides she wants to do something, she will, come hell or high water. She might not enjoy practicing the piano, for instance, but she will do it because she has decided she'll be a pianist. And nothing I say can dissuade her :)
Sheridan loves animals. She wants to be on the Wild Kratts team--in fact, she recently was trying to jump into the TV to join them (no joke).
She is very good at telling other people what to do.
Sheridan wants to be an artist when she grows up. Or a creature rescuer (like the Wild Kratts).
She loves her dance lessons but says she's so scared of recitals. Except that at the recitals, she nails her routines and has a blast.
DRAMA. Can't wait for her to be able to get up on stage and channel the drama.
Sheridan is very, very loving. She is often on the lookout for how she can help (she is totally Mom's super-helper).

We love this little girl and can't wait to see what surprises are in store for her this year!! Happy Birthday, Miss Sheridan Marie!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Being Born Isn't Easy!

I was great with child.

It's funny, looking at this picture now I don't seem that HUGE

But then I look at this picture taken 10 days later, and it turns out I was huge.

This is a picture of me in the hospital room when I gave birth to Jack, just over 8 years ago. I was in labor with contractions about 5 minutes apart here. Cool, right?

This is the long version. Just skip to the pictures if you don't want all the details :)

Thursday, Jan 3rd was exactly 1 week before my due date. I had an appointment with my midwife that morning. I was hopeful that she would strip my membranes and I would go into labor (this is what happened for both Henry and Amelia, so I had good reason to hope). Plus, 1/3/13 is a really cool birthday, right?

So my appointment was at 9:30 am (and I was dilated to 4.5 cm, awesome!), but I didn't really start having contractions right away. I sent Tyler back to work and his Mom came from dropping his Dad at the airport around 1-ish? I told Tyler to not take too long, but to wrap things up. I napped until a little while and then made a popcorn snack. I'd been having some contractions, but nothing really major. Tyler got home at 3:30. I was sitting at the table with his Mom and the kids having popcorn. I know he was thinking, "I just came home for a popcorn snack!?!" but then my contractions started to come much more intensely and much closer together. We started getting things together to go to the hospital.

By 5 they were about 5 minutes apart and getting more intense. Ladies who have unmedicated births usually labor at home for as long as possible, but I tested positive for Group B strep, so I needed to get antibiotics (2 doses 4 hours apart). Plus, I didn't want to spend transition in the car. Driving to the hospital, with the normal bumps in the road, is uncomfortable enough. Transition in the car would be brutal. I was already really uncomfortable, which is very different from my last 3 labors.

We got to the hospital (here's where I put in my plug for Orem Community! BEST HOSPITAL AND NURSES IN THE VALLEY!!) and I couldn't make it from the entrance to the check-in desk without stopping for contractions. I made friends with the check-in nurse and she took us to the room where (as I already mentioned) I gave birth to Jack. It was a pretty special moment. We arrived at 5:50, just in time for the shift change. Our nurse was the same the entire time and she was AMAZING.

Except I was already really, really uncomfortable.

That isn't normal for me. I just couldn't get into the hypno-zone, even though I was able to totally relax my body. I felt really discouraged when the nurse found me at only 5 cm. The midwife on duty was reluctant to admit me, thinking I might not be in active labor since it was such a small change from the morning. They wanted to monitor me. So they did (I stood and leaned over the bed the whole time. Weird, but WAY better than lying down this time!). After they saw that I really was in active labor and that baby was handling the contractions well, I was at 6 cm and they started the antibiotics. Tyler and I went and walked. Actually, mostly we stopped and he held me up through contractions.

I started getting tired. My right thigh was cramping up from standing and gravity was causing a lot of contractions. However, I couldn't get comfortable lying down. It made the contractions way more uncomfortable.

So, after I finished the first round of antibiotics at 7:20, we tried a lot of different positions to relax. Standing, even with the leg pain, was still the best. I was at 7 cm, so we thought it wouldn't be long.

But an hour or so later, even though contractions were getting intense enough that I told Tyler "I never, ever want to do this again. Really.", I was still at 7 cm.

I was worn out and I was slowly losing my ability to cope.

I asked about them breaking my water, knowing it would get things moving along (even though I really didn't want them to have to break my water, since that was usually when I lost coping ability during labor). Like, in 3 contractions I'd be pushing and then 3 contractions after that I'd have the baby and be done with a labor FOREVER.

The nurse was really reluctant. It was only 1 hour until I could have the 2nd dose of antibiotics and they really, really wanted me to get that dose. However, she told me that it was still my choice.

Tyler just gently reminded me of how much I wanted to NOT have my water broken and that I'd regret the choice to do it.

So I decided (I think I was inspired) to get into the tub.

The nurse needed to located the wireless monitors, but the midwife OK'd it after they checked me again.

Still 7 cm.

So very, very discouraging.

So we waited. And waited. And waited for the nurse to come back with the wireless monitor. And then we said, "forget you!" and got into the tub anyways. The nurse was totally cool with that when she came back.

And then I needed to get OUT. So I did.

And it was time for my next round of antibiotics. Yay.

It was 11:20. I pretty much gave up on having a baby that night.

Good news was, I had actually dilated more. I was able to lean on Tyler again through contractions. We decided we'd walk around again, but then I started feeling "pushy". With a tiny push *POP* my water broke.

And then things got a little hectic...but I never felt out-of-control like I do when they break my water. My body started pushing, and there I was, stuck leaning against Tyler through the next contraction. I did not think I could move so the midwife let me know she could catch that baby any-which-way. And then I was moving up onto the bed, leaned over the upright back of the bed and on the next contraction, pushed out a little baby! (the midwife said he looked like a little fish coming down--he was kicking his way out, too). He had the cord wrapped once around his neck and he started screaming before he'd fully vacated the premises, so he ended up swallowing a lot of blood. They had to quickly cut his cord and hand him over to the pediatrics team to suction the blood out of his stomach. Both the midwife and Tyler apparently announced that it was a boy, but it didn't register until I asked, "wait, what did we have?"

I was also very insistent that I wanted my baby NOW, which was a little unusual for me (usually I'm shaking so hard I can't hold the baby for a little while). Of course, it's the one time they had to actually treat the baby for something...:) But it worked out ok.

They handed me my messy, gooey little baby and I fell completely, totally, head-over-heels in love. He was absolutely perfect, with lots of dark hair and a round little head. They didn't even get the chance to weigh and measure him (I'm sure they were thinking, "dude, just hand the lady her baby and maybe she'll shut up about wanting to hold the kid").