The past few weeks

For those of you who stop by just for the pictures, today is your lucky day! I finally found the camera cord and uploaded a small glimpse of the craziness around here. Enjoy!

Boaz's big brother bike finally arrived. So, the boys helped me put it together and each tried it out. None of the pieces have fallen off yet, so I think we did a pretty good job. Boaz still needs a little practice, but he's enjoying it!

Canon has been doing an awesome job on his bike as well. He can run and pick up his feet for a moment and only falls when distracted by something else. We have managed to go to the park a couple of times without any distractions and a smooth ride!

^ I just had to share this picture. Isn't he a cutie?? I love summer and it looks like the littles do too!

^I think we are in monsoon season around here. We have had rain or clouds everyday for the last two weeks. So, while my mom was here, and it wasn't lightening, I suited the boys and myself up and headed outside to splash in the puddles. This is obviously something we need to do more often because the boys were not really sure what to do in the rain! It was a bit of a chore to get everyone, including the four legged creatures, cleaned up, but we had a really fun time!

I believe this is Olivia's 5 week picture. This is another outfit that was mine when I was a baby. Isn't she a sweety??

^We had such a special time with all of the Granny's in town. Left to Right: Albert's mom, Becky, Albert's Aunt and honorary Granny, Karla, and my mom, Cindy. I am still retraining the damage they did. :)

^Boaz was trying to eat the ladybug container and was enjoying them crawl around in the cup.

^Canon was not so thrilled to hold the cup, but looked pretty handsome!

^Sorry that Olivia is standing on her head. She was snuggled into the back of the stroller and slept through the whole thing! She did look cute though!

^We had a fun time seeing our friends and fell apart shortly after this was taken! 

4 weeks old

(This was my dress when I was a baby)

I know, I know, I'm late. I thought about this post all day on Sunday and even took pictures of Olivia, but the day slipped by without a word. Then, yesterday I thought about being late and needing to post, and yet I did not. So, here we are today! Hope you enjoy!

Olivia's fourth week was pretty good. The weather was a little up and down, so we were in and out. Almost any day that we can get outside is good. We ventured out for our second walk as the circus. I'm not sure if I've explained the scene before, so I'll give you a glimpse today. When we go for walks, it's a little crazy. The boys ride in the stroller, which is a type of tandem double. I wear Olivia in my front pack carrier and one dog walks on each side of the stroller. I have tried several times to have Cheyenne walk on the right side of the stroller with Piper, but she is a left side walker. So, as you can imagine, we take up the whole path. People must pass us at their own risk. (Apparently my little sweety does not want to be talked about, as she has been crying since I started typing!) The people who probably get the best laugh at our walk are all of those driving by. I just can't help but wonder what they are thinking when they see my little circus on parade. Anyway, this walk went really well. Not a single bathroom break for the dogs and the kiddos relaxed and enjoyed the fresh air. I even got a bit of exercise and was not sore the next day. We did venture out for a walk the week before and I was sore for three days. There is a reason they put boundaries on exercise after having a baby!

I'm not sure what else we did last week, but a few discoveries have been made. Olivia seems to be regularly irregular with her BMs. She had one on Friday, then nothing on Saturday. Well, it seemed that she was storing everything up for a giant explosion Sunday morning. I just have to say that I'm glad Albert bit the bullet on that one! So, then there was one BM Sunday morning and the next one was Monday evening. Most newborns poop several times a day and they are much smaller. My pediatrician friend says this irregularity is ok and her daughter is also regularly irregular. I must admit that I enjoy changing wet diapers much more than dirty ones, but one giant one is quite a task!

Oh, and we attempted a photo session on Saturday. I need a little extra deodorant for these endeavors! That might be TMI, but I really have to work at things like this. I was hoping to get individuals of all of the littles, a good group picture and a picture of Olivia and Albert's arm. Everything turned out great except for our special Daddy picture. So, they will have another Daddy/daughter session this week. Maybe in our next house I'll set up one black backdrop  and one white backdrop and do my own pictures. It has to be less stressful! Well, we did manage to get some good ones and thankfully the store has an excellent military discount, so though it is stressful, I will probably go back.......

This was Olivia's first week in cloth diapers. It went pretty well. It's a little tricky to get the cover snug enough around her thighs and I don't really know when to change her since she's not pooping all the time, typically I change my newborns when they poop. Overall I enjoy cloth diapers much more than disposable. I have been having trouble with getting the wipe caught on the Velcro of the disposables and it has been a pain. So, I'm glad the pretty well be done with that. Now if I can just remember to change her frequently.

Here are some pictures of the kiddos from the last week. Hope you enjoy.

The day before Easter we went to the zoo. Olivia slept the whole time, with a bit of a break for some lunch. The  boys had a great time. Boaz took a bit of a nap, but Canon was ready to go the whole time! We packed a lunch and played at the playground before heading home. Canon slept on the way home, then both boys thought their cat-naps were sufficient for the day. 

Later that afternoon our next door neighbor set up an Easter egg hunt for the boys. Canon had a great time picking up all of the eggs. He shared a couple with Boaz. Bo was more interested in the neighbor's dog, Shelby. We had a fun time though.

Here's our trio on Easter morning. It was cold and raining, so Olivia didn't get to wear a pretty dress. Maybe next year! (I'm not sure why this is underlined, just ignore it!) We did have a fun time teaching Canon the true meaning of Easter. In order to teach the boys the true reason for Easter, that Jesus is ALIVE, we played with Resurrection Eggs and made Resurrection rolls. I have a couple of other ideas that will be implemented next year, but this was pretty good for the attention span of a 2 year old little boy. Though, when asked what the real meaning of Easter is, Canon shouts "to save the life!" I think that will work!

And, just for your enjoyment, here is a picture that I like and one of the last ones of me pregnant with Olivia. Enjoy!

2 weeks old

2 weeks old

Our little sweety is two weeks old today. This week has been a bit less eventful, but still out of the ordinary. Albert was down with the flu for 3 days. That wasn't fun for him or the rest of us. The boys had a VERY hard time staying away from him. I'm not sure how much rest he got, but eventually his fever broke and he was able to interact a bit more. Hopefully this week will be full of everything except illness!

Olivia took her first trip to the grocery store. She slept the whole time and the few people who got to peek at her thought she was a cutie. One lady, upon hearing that Olivia was my third, loudly asked me if we were done or if we were going to wait a while for the next one. I'm still not sure why people feel these are appropriate questions. 

Here's our most recent family picture.

And here is Canon's latest adventure. While Albert way laying in bed, Canon went in our room to go potty. While sitting on the toilet, Albert hears "I'm sorry Daddy." Albert went in to find his watch sunk in a toilet of pee. We have had several good laughs over this, and Albert gave his watch several good washings.

Daily Digest 3

Things are starting to settle in around here. I am feeling a lot better and did not even have a coughing fit when I went to bed last night. I don't think I sound like I just woke up any more either. So, that is nice. My uterus is contracting back down to size and about 6 of the cramps hurt so bad last night that I thought about calling the doctor. It was really painful. This morning Albert asked if I was worried there was another baby in there. I said no, that I was worried it was a different organ besides my uterus and something was wrong. Those few in a row did keep me up, but thankfully they went away. My abdomen is hurting from coughing so much, but maybe I'll have great abs again soon! I'm finding that I need to pump to help me function well and this morning I pumped for 15 minutes and got 9 ounces! I always feel like pumping is a competition and gives me great excitement when I'm able to pump so much. Just off of that one "pump session" I could feed Olivia for 4 1/2 feedings or 12 hours! Isn't it amazing that God made our bodies work this way???

Olivia is doing great! We have been given another "easy" baby. I'm sure her dark side will come out as soon as I post this, but she is a little sweety. She's on a pretty good three hour rotation. She only stays awake a little bit during the day. At night she sputters a bit, nurses for like 2 minutes and is back asleep for another three hour stretch. This morning all of us slept until about 7:40 a.m. That is unheard of in the House of Duck, and especially with a newborn! I guess we just all really needed the rest.

Boaz is getting much better! This is such a relief. He didn't even fight Albert to do his nebulizer treatment this morning. He just sat their calmly and enjoyed the smokey medicine. He has decided that we are trying to take his nose off when we wipe the boogers away, but hopefully he will relax about this again soon. This morning he was playing, laughing, walking around and eating again. It's awesome to have our little boy back! I don't know if everyone is like this, but when my kiddos are sick for a couple of days, I forget what they are like normally and think these battles will continue forever. I love the change back to normal!

Canon is great! He has a lot of energy pinned up. Between traveling back and forth to the hospital and crazy winter weather, he has not had much outside play time. This time is critical for my boys. We just all get along better when we can get a little energy out outside. Canon is doing well though. He and Daddy have been having some extra wrestling sessions and we've watched just about every movie we own. Hopefully our movie marathon will subside soon and we can head back outside.

I think that covers us. Albert is still doing great. He has had some special bonding with the boys due to the weather and illness and we both think this week at home has been a real blessing!

Daily Digest 1

Things have been a little crazy around here. Here's a little run down of what all we've been up to. I think I'll try to give you a brief update for the next few days, at least until everything settles down. So, here's the first one.

Olivia had a very rough first night at home. From about 11-3 she wanted to snuggle or eat or just have some interaction. Yesterday morning I took her to a doctor's appointment. The pediatrician in the hospital wanted her weight and bilirubin to be checked. The nurse weighed her in at 7 lbs 15 oz. (Later this number seemed to be wrong) Her bili number was 13.1. Nurse Adrian called and said we would have the bili lights brought out to our house. Just for the record, I hate these lights. So, they were set up last night around 6:00 and our little beauty has been tanning her backside ever since. The nurse who set up the lights weighed Olivia, and she was 7 lbs. 6 oz. This morning she was weighed again and her weight was 7 lbs 6 oz again. The nurse did another blood draw this morning, and we should receive the results any time now. Until her bilirubin number goes down, she will be strapped to the lights as much as possible. This is helping us establish a routine, but I hate leaving her on it all the time! I guess we'll just have to make up for lost cuddle time when she gets better.

Boaz got sick in the hospital and has been sick ever since. He is very grouchy during the day and took a very short nap yesterday. We are waiting for him to start feeling better. Boaz was not sure what he thought of Olivia when he first met her. He seemed to be thinking, "What is that? We don't need another one." Since then, he has warmed up to her. He'll walk over and touch her with one finger and give a big smile. This is much sweeter than his first reaction.

Canon is also very sick and grouchy. He loves his baby sister "ibia" and asks about her often. He enjoys checking on her and turning her lights on and off. When Canon first met her, he gently touched her head and could not stop smiling. He offered her a cheerio and has been very loving ever since. He received a big boy bike for becoming a big brother again (Boaz will get his soon) and he loves riding it in the house and outside. It is parked next to Daddy's bike, which Canon thinks is pretty cool!

I have been doing pretty well. My fever broke Monday morning and I have been feeling a bit better each day. My coughing has subsided a bit, but picks up right when I lay down for bed. I have been pumping some, to help Olivia get better quicker, but nursing is going pretty well too. She just is so sleepy that I want to have some idea how much food she is getting.

Albert is the only one who is not sick. He is doing an awesome job of taking care of all of us. I'm so thankful for him!

Here are a few pics to hold you over until the next time!

Baby sister can't have all the fun!

Here's a little glimpse of what our crazy boys have been up to.

^The boys are ready to meet their baby sister.

^Papaw brought some special pjs for Canon and he cannot get enough of them!

^Canon's been wearing an eye patch 2 hours a day to correct some eye muscles.

^Boaz took a great fall. The other day we walked down to see the turtles. The wind caught the stroller and rolled the front wheel off the curb and our sweet boy's cheek met the road. It is totally cleared up today though!

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A special night

Albert and I were actually able to go on a date without having family in town! Friday night was a "Dining out" for the squadron. This is a 98% mandatory event that we all have to pay a small fortune to attend. But, let's face it, we would not have gone on a date if we weren't forced to. Not because we don't like dates, but several other reasons. It's a hassle to find a sitter, the boys were sick all week, and Albert was busy with work all week. We are more "home-bodies" and probably would have preferred a semi-quiet evening popping popcorn and watching a movie with the boys. But, we had a great time!

It was a semi-formal event, so Albert wore his dress blues (which are black) and I wore my only semi-formal maternity dress. My sweet mom-in-law sent me a shawl from Mexico to borrow. It worked perfectly. Though, I'm still not quite sure how you're supposed to wear a shawl. Several of the girls had one on and only one girl seemed to really know what she was doing with it! that made me feel much better! So, we got dressed up and went to the Grand Ballroom at a fancy hotel downtown. I can't remember the name of the "restaurant" but it was delicious! There are a lot of ceremonial things that take place and the guys cut up a bit. We had a wonderful time.

Upon arriving home, we found that Canon had thrown up in his bed. I am somewhat thankful that we did not hear about this until we were home. My Sunday school teacher and her teenage daughter were watching the boys and fully capable of handling the situation. But, if I had known about it while we were out, I would have been worried. They were a huge blessing though and took care of the boys perfectly. They even cleaned up all of the dinner dishes!

So, here is a picture of our first date since October...... maybe. I know we went on one in June and our friends watched the boys sometime before Christmas, so maybe November. Any who, we had a blast!

A fun morning

Today is supposed to be my "clean house" day. So, this morning I was putting away the laundry that has been folded since Tuesday and got side tracked by Boaz's clothes that are too small for him. We are having some friend's babysit tonight, and I want the house to be clean for them........ why did I feel the need to put his clothes away today??? Anyway, as I was getting bins from the shed I noticed a couple of Canadian geese in the grass across the street from our house. *side note: It was 10 a.m. and all of us were still in our pjs. So, I ran inside and told Canon to put some shoes on. I put some pants and shoes on, grabbed Boaz and some bread and out we went. I was sure the geese would fly off, but as soon as we started throwing bread in their direction they liked us! Canon and I stood in the street throwing bread towards them for a while. One would eat and the other would straighten his neck out and keep watch. Boaz wanted to have fun too, so he asked for a piece of bread. I thought he might try to throw it, but he ate it instead! Canon needed a bite to eat too. Thankfully the geese did not come up to the pieces of bread Canon had thrown until after we came back inside the house. I was a little worried that they would attack us. But after finishing our bread Canon and I decided the geese must be from the zoo. They definitely have been fed by people before, but know to keep there distance!

Potty Training update

Along with all of the other training going on, Canon is still working on potty training. He has actually taken himself potty a couple of times. I think this is very exciting and will hopefully increase with the warmer weather and shorts. I'm sure they will be easier to pull up and down on his own. He's been wearing pull-ups during naps and at night time. I just can't stand to change the sheets on his bunk bed. We still have the occasional accident, but I think he's just VERY efficient with the BMs and tells me as soon as he realizes, but it's too late. Like I said though, this is VERY rare! So, I think this about wraps up our potty training experience for Canon. He is pretty well trained and I am hoping we do not have a regression when the baby comes. We'll see!

Little Drummer Boy

I just have to share this video with you. It is a little long, but I think you'll enjoy it. Canon received this drum set in the mail yesterday. He could hardly wait for me to get it put together. He has since played it in every room of the house and thinks the couch is the best place for it so that Boaz can not reach it! We are still trying to find just the right place for it, but I assure you it is not the couch. Enjoy our silly boys!

We've arrived!

Nearly a week late, I am finally updating again. We arrived in Pensacola last Monday. My Dad flew in on Sunday, we packed and loaded up the van and headed out at 2:45 Monday morning. The boys were amazing travelers. I could not have asked for better behavior. They both stayed awake for an hour or so after being put in the car. Canon needed a potty break before he could go back to sleep, so our first stop was around 3:15 or so. After that they both drifted off and slept for a while. Dad woke up with a headache and was having trouble staying awake, so I took over just before 4:00 a.m. All of the boys slept until about 7:00 and I drove us through Dallas. I still can't believe I survived that! We stopped around 8:00 for breakfast and to stretch our legs and fill up the van. We rode on for a couple of hours and took another potty break or two. Traveling with a potty training toddler is quite an adventure! One of the highlights of our trip was stopping in Louisiana for lunch and meeting my Grandma, aunt and cousin. Canon and Boaz really enjoyed that stop! After lunch the boys drifted off for another nap (they both napped in the morning as well) and we continued to Pensacola. I knew we would start falling apart near the end of the trip and this was the case. When the boys woke up from their naps they were nearly done with their car seats. When it started getting dark again, we were all ready for change. We arrived in Pensacola at about 5:30 p.m. 15 hours worth of traveling with two toddlers, a dog, a pregnant woman and no DVD player was quite an experience. This is not a task that just anyone would volunteer to undertake and I am so thankful my Dad was willing to tackle the drive for us. 

So, we are here and adjusting to the weather and thankful to not have to turn around and head home any time too soon.

So Sweet

Albert has been doing a lot of research towards a new car. This has been a topic of conversation several times over the last couple of weeks. We have had only one car for about a year now and know that a second car will be useful upon our move. While talking about a new car the other night, Canon said he would give Daddy a new car. We asked if he had any money to help us pay for the car and he said "yes". We told him to go to his room and get his money, when he came out he had his remote control car. He told Albert that he could take this new car to work. A little while later he came out with a little box car that he calls a "police car" and told Albert that he could take this "new car". 

I just love having little boys!

Differences in Pregnancies

When I was pregnant with Canon, all I ever heard was that every pregnancy was different and everything was normal during pregnancy. So, here is a run down of the similarities and differences in my 2 1/2 pregnancies.

First pregnancy:

• I got sick (threw up) sporadically and only for the first 12 or 13 weeks. Then, I did not get sick at all.
• I gained about a pound a week starting at 4 weeks. :(
• My face and whole body were a little swollen.
• Canon moved a ton and I could always see him moving across the front of my belly.
• I needed a lot of sleep.
• My hair got really thick.
• I sat around a lot.
• I read every book, magazine, website available that talked about pregnancy, birth and newborns.
• Delivered two days late via Cesarean section.
• Had a 9 lb baby boy.

Second Pregnancy:

• I got sick very sporadically throughout my whole pregnancy.
• I gained 26 lbs on D-day.
• I stayed pretty small, though my face did swell a little.
• Boaz moved a lot, but he always made me feel motion sick because he was punching my organs.
• If I took a nap in the afternoon, I had a hard time falling asleep at night.
• I played with Canon a lot and sat around a little.
• My hair thickened up quite a bit.
• I tried to keep up with "Your Pregnancy week by week." But often lost track of what week I was on.
• Delivered three weeks and 2 days early with a 4 hour labor.
• Had a healthy, 7 lb 2 oz baby boy.

Third Pregnancy:

• I have not been sick at all, though hugged the toilet once for good measure.
• I've gained about a half pound a week.
• I feel like I am still pretty small, my face still looks normal and I can still see some muscles in my arms.
• I have felt the baby move for the last few weeks.
• I am functioning with about the same amount of sleep as I needed with Boaz.
• I am not sitting around much at all!
• My hair is falling out like it is summer time.
• I rarely know what week I am  on or what is going on with the baby.
• I thought my due date was 4/4, the doc moved it to 4/17, the ultrasound said it was 4/11.
• We are hoping to VBAC a baby GIRL sometime in April!

Canon Update

Canon has not had a ton going on the past couple of weeks. He has had a cold that has been going up and down. He has been pretty sick the last couple of days. Yesterday, he threw up right when we put the van in park at church yesterday. He has pretty much been laying around ever since. He woke up twice last night and has taken a couple of short naps today. I talked to the nurse this morning who informed me that everything they've been seeing is viral and to just treat the symptoms. I hope he wakes up refreshed in the morning and no one else gets this!

Canon Says:

"Canon ride in back seat of car."

breath

"Canon put on seatbelt."

breath

"Canon drive to Papaw's house."

These sorts of post might become more frequent as his vocabulary and conversational skills increase! They are so fun for me.

Canon Says:

"Good job fire mama!"

"Good job fire truck mama!"

"Good job fire fighter mama!"

On Saturday a fire truck parade came past our house. We ran outside to watch the trucks. Later that day we went over to the fire house for Sparky's birthday party and a free lunch. Canon was able to sit on a fire truck and look at the firefighters. We even got the see them get dressed quickly and head out with their lights on for a power outage. On Wednesday we were in the back yard and noticed a class leaving the fire house. We waved to Sparky and a few firefighters, then decided to walk over. We were given the VIP treatment. Canon was able to give Sparky a high-five and take a picture with him. He was given the grand tour of the fire truck and the firefighter turned on the siren while Canon was in the seat. We even received a plastic fire fighter hat! Canon cannot get enough of this hat. Again, pictures will come later, but we have enjoyed Fire Prevention week.

Potty Training!

Here is another small update on potty training. It is going quite well, though not complete. Canon has been dry for several days now including nap time and night time! At first I thought he was only staying dry at night because he woke up like four nights in a row and went potty in the middle of the night. But, he slept all night last night and was dry this morning. He also seems to be holding it longer during the day. I say that we are not completely done yet, because he is not initiating having to go. Sometimes he does, but usually I prompt him. This doesn't bother me though. Wet underwear is easier to change than a diaper. The one thing that keeps me on edge is underwear while sleeping. He has been taking his naps in underwear for a while and has stayed dry. But at night, I just can't go there yet. I mean, I don't think he'd care. He probably would wake up crying if he had an accident though. The main thing that I don't like is changing the sheets on the bunk beds! I mean, I love the bunks and think they were/are the most practical option for our family, but changing the sheets is a pain. So, I am preventing accidents by having Canon sleep in a diaper so that I don't have to change the sheets as often. Maybe this is lazy, but I have to stay sane somehow and changing the sheets makes me grumpy!

Canon's funny words cont.

Here are a few more funny things that Canon can be heard saying these days:

"Don't eat my pizza Lauren." This phrase came after a friend visited for dinner and he was not in the mood to share. It has come with correction!

"Good Job Mama!"

I need to write these down during the day so I can remember them! He is always cracking me up. One of the sweet things he says is, "Go see Daddy." A couple of weeks ago I woke the boys up about an hour after I laid them down, to pick up Albert. Now Canon would like to pick him up every night. I would too!

"Papaw fix it."

"Canon park more."

"Canon not potty anymore."

"Canon not play part anymore."

"Don't spank my anymore." This one is reprimanded!

I'll have to keep thinking.......

So sweet and sad

Canon seems to have come down with quite a cold. I was sick last week with a sore throat and cough and he seems to have caught it. His eyes have been red and a little droopy and he has had MUCH less energy then normal. Tonight I was giving the boys a bath and Canon kept fussing at Boaz and just was not enjoying his bath, which is very out of the ordinary for him. So, I washed him quickly and wrapped him in a towel. I held him in my arms to settle him down and before I knew it, he was asleep! Naked, wrapped in a towel, with his brother still in the tub, sleeping. It was such a sweet moment. It took me a little while to decide what to do. I couldn't very well leave Boaz in the tub to lay Canon in bed. I didn't want to wake Canon up until I was ready to dress him and lay him down. I finally decided to lay Canon on the rug, wash Boaz quickly and take them both to bed. It's a good thing that was my choice because the water was cold! Canon is a little snuggler, but he almost never falls asleep in my arms any more. It was such a sweet moment that I hated to let it pass. After I got him dressed I asked him to just lay in his bed until I gave Boaz his bottle and laid him down, then I would rock him if he was still awake. Well, he was asleep of course. And my heart was a little sad. I hate it when he is sick, but I do enjoy his snuggles. Please pray that he feels better soon.

Little Boys, again

I knew there was more that I wanted to put on that post!

A few months ago Albert and I listened to a sermon that taught about the character of men. This has been a great inspiration for us in raising our boys and seeking out husbands for our daughters some day. The four roles of men are to be Providers, Protectors, Profits, and Priests.

Now, these are all roles that will hopefully be displayed throughout their lives and with everyone they run into, but they are definitely rolls that take training to develop.

My heart has smiled to see Canon learning some of these roles. He is not a Profit or a Priest yet, but he is learning a bit about being a Provider and Protector. He is often heard protecting Boaz and me. He will tell Boaz, "Do not pull my mama's hair." He has told me, "Do not eat BoBo's food." I think he might still be a little on the bossy side, but he is starting to look out for us.

He is a slight Provider with his willingness to help. He seems to enjoy having a job to do. I often ask him to put something in the sink or go find Boaz's paci. So, in this sense he is providing help.

Both of these are little, but hopefully will grow into an amazing young man some day.