They still exist and are just as cute as ever

A cute picture taken on Grandma Cali's cell phone.
Kendree taking a nice relaxed nap (arms up just like Easton).

Taking the first ride in the swing (she really loves it, despite the face).

See? But her hand was in the way here, so when I moved it, she got mad. It's all about the pictures people.

And this little guy is still around as well.

He's making the adjustment pretty well so far, but does not like when Kendree is crying, and I mean really crying. Then he imitates her exact noise (not my favorite thing) until she stops. He is super sweet with her and seems to realize that she is not going anywhere and he better get used to it.

Tonight, I couldn't find a set of keys that I needed and when I asked him where he had put them, he pointed underneath the recliner (where they were) and then said "Sorry, Mama!" So cute. It's funny how he seems so grown up and big. Almost like a giant!

So far, this mom of two business seems manageable (especially if I get my afternoon nap in). It's not the easiest but man it is nice to have friends and family willing to take a certain 2-year old off my hands for a few hours a day.

My Current Lifesaver

See this little gem right here?
It allows Easton to turn the light in his room on and off and it is my new best friend.

Sigh. I love modern conveniences.

This post is what Ronnie would call my need to overshare

mainly because I've had one or two people ask me and then I get the idea that you all have to know this right now, or perhaps, you just might die.


A few months ago, a woman in my ward commented to me about how much she liked the name Easton. She said that it went so well with our last name, and that it was unique, but not too weird, etc.


I was flattered.


Okay, okay...I was beyond flattered. I was just plain proud. The comment seriously made my week, possibly my month. Naming your kids is hard. Really, really hard. They are stuck with it (unless they pay to have it changed) for the rest of their lives.


I know how hard it is to grow up with a different name. I loved that I never had to be called KaLee L. while so many were Jenn S. and Jenn R., etc, but was so sad when I could never purchase anything with my name on it. No pens or pads of paper, or other cool little do-dads. Kaylee wasn't even a popular name back then, let alone with the old capital "L" in there.


So anyway, while pregnant with Easton, we knew we were having a boy, and both of us loved the name Easton. We heard it when we lived in Provo and while it wasn't "popular" by any means, most people had heard of it before. Then, we moved to Laramie, and no one had ever heard of it. It didn't deter us though. We still loved it and it was in the final three names that we took to the hospital (since I am also of the opinion that I need to see my babies before I can really commit to something).


We get two consistent comments in regard to Easton. "Is the next one going to be Weston? HARHARHAR" and "You mean like the baseball equipment?" Neither really bothers us, and we hope that Easton isn't too scarred by the fact that his name is the name of a company as well.


As far as Kendree goes, oddly enough, I fell in love with it at a baseball game. We were in California when I was just about 12 weeks along and went to an Angels game. They have a player named Kendry (who is a boy) and I proceeded to look up the name online to see if it was just a crazy name, or one that I could live with and found that the masculine spelling was the Kendry and the feminine was Kendri. Neither was my favorite, but they were something to work from. Next I had to convince Ronnie. It took nearly the rest of the pregnancy, but he came around and also agreed that Kendree was an awesome name and again, we had three names when we went to the hospital (well three girl names, we all know about the boy name struggles we have).

So apparently, all of our inspiration comes from baseball. Which is especially funny considering I HATE watching it on television, but do enjoy a game in person (who am I kidding, it's all because I can get cotton candy when I'm there).

And there we have it, the back story on our children's names. Hopefully I haven't completely bored you to death.

P.S. No, we did not plan for their middle names to rhyme (Jay and Rae). It is not something I look to do with the next child, just a strange coincidence.

Kendree's Birth Story

{Disclaimer: Some of you will not want to read this. You've been warned}

Ronnie and I dropped off Easton at my parents' house at 7:30pm on Tuesday, February 16th and headed up to the hospital. We checked in at the emergency room and I was wheeled upstairs (that always feels a little ridiculous when you aren't actually in labor).

After getting settled in my room, and hooked up to the monitors it turns out that I was contracting every 5-10 minutes, but I couldn't feel them at all (those are my favorite kind!) I still was not dilated at all though. The doctor came in and gave me the cervadil drug at 9:30pm. That medicine would be in for 12 hours and then the doctor would re-assess the situation. I was offered a sleeping pill, which I declined. The cervadil regulated my contractions and intensified them just a little bit (every 5 minutes) but I was able to sleep through them, so I did get some rest.

At 9:30am on the 17th, when they took out the cervadil, I was dilated to a 2.5. We decided to do some walking to see if we could get things moving and that made everything feel much less intense. (At this point I was feeling most of the contractions in my lower back, just like I did with Easton). I walked off and on for an hour and a half and at 11am, got back into bed to get hooked up to the monitors.

Dr. Klingler came in at 11:25am to check me and I was at a 4. He decided to break my water to see if my body would continue the labor on its own. After my water was broken, the contractions became much more intense right away. I talked to the nurse about how long it would take to get the epidural (20 minutes after I asked for it) and decided that I would wait just a few minutes before asking for it so that it didn't slow things down. Just ten minutes later, I had to really start breathing through the contractions, and I asked the nurse to order the drugs.

At almost that exact same time, the baby's heart rate started decreasing, so the nurses started playing with my position to see if they could make things better for the baby. Things seemed to settle down after a position change. Just a little after noon, I began having problems keeping my breathing slow because the contractions were so painful, so they gave me an oxygen mask and at the same time, the baby's heart rate began decreasing again and the nurse decided to check me to see what progress I was making.

"You're all the way!," she exclaimed, followed directly by "You won't be getting that epidural." I remember thinking, "WHAT!!!" and at the same time, having the need to push, RIGHT NOW!

The floor exploded with nurses running everywhere, yelling to call the doctor to get up here NOW, and the occasional instruction to me to "do what I need to do." I had no idea what that meant, but I was fairly certain that they wanted the doctor there before I delivered, so with each contraction, I let my body do what it wanted to do naturally, but didn’t put any extra effort behind the pushing.

Dr. Klingler arrived at 12:20, threw on a gown and two contractions later, at 12:28pm, Kendree was here!

In all of the excitement, no one reminded the doctor that we didn't know what we were having, so when she came out, she was rolled away from us. Ronnie, the nurse, and I were straining our necks to get a look and finally the nurse yelled out “It’s a girl!” I started crying, out of joy, surprise and just the fact that it was over.

They immediately put Kendree on my chest and as she cried, they started to clean her off. Ronnie was also able to cut the cord. She looked a little bluish/purple to me, but pinked right up after a minute of crying. The nurses took her over to the heated bed to finish up the cleaning, etc. Soon enough, I was all cleaned up and little Kendree was being snuggled. (I know you are thanking me for leaving some of those details out).

A few other notes:

*Ronnie and I were both genuinely shocked to have a little girl. Ronnie because he thought he saw “something” during the ultrasound and me because it just seemed more natural to be having another boy, since that is what I knew. I did have a very vivid dream about two weeks before she was born that she was a girl, but I never know how much stock to put into pregnancy dreams. They are crazy. Combine that with the fact that all of the older ladies I work with kept on telling me that I was carrying exactly the same as I was with Easton (low) and many other wives tales (no morning sickness, heart rate ranges, etc) and so I HAD to be having another boy and that was that.

*I have never cared to know what it felt like to have a baby naturally. I had nothing to prove to anyone and was completely expecting to have an epidural and be on with it. That being said, I will say that it was awesome to be able to get up and clean up/walk around just about 45 minutes after Kendree was born. If I could guarantee that every labor would be just one hour of intense pain (and not the possibility of many hours) then I may even consider doing the natural thing again. Recovery has been so much faster and easier than it was with Easton, although I don’t know how much of that is Kendree being the second child (so my body knows what to do) and how much of that is the fact that I didn’t have the drugs.

*I asked the nurse if the hospital keeps track of how long your labors are and if that goes into your charts. She said yes, and that they usually have the labor "start" after you have made some progress, so in my case, she charted my labor as starting at 9:30am (when I was dilated to a 2.5) and ending at 12:28pm when Kendree was born. 3 hours. She also told me that if I EVER want to have drugs when I deliver, I have to make them give me the epidural before my water breaks. Good to know, good to know.

A few more for the fans

So new, so precious.

Big brother meets this "baby" that everyone has been talking about.

Grandma Cali and Kendree

Grandpa Cali and Kendree

Such little feet.

Daddy's girl

Easton hanging out with Kendree (whom he calls "Kenny") at home.

Wide eyes.

More of Kendree

All in pink, ready to head home from the hospital.

Grandpa and Kendree.

Uncle Jord-man.

Uncle Jord-man, Kendree, cousin Alayna.

Aunt Erica.

Uncle Dan.

But sometimes life isn't fair

Shortly after Easton was born, I started a blog just for him. It was a great way to get that "mommy" stuff posted for family to read, without boring all of you!

I plan on continuing to post that same "mommy" stuff for both Easton and Kendree, but let's face it--there is no way I can keep up with a blog per child. (despite what you all may think, I'm not super woman)

So, in all my "fairness" talk with quilts, etc. I realize that there are some things that we just can't change. I've changed all of Easton's posts over to the new "kiddo" blog and will continue to post all things Easton and Kendree there. There will also continue to be a link to the right.

Enjoy!

And here she is!

She shocked both Ronnie and I, as we were expecting a boy (I think just because that is what we know and have).

Cute little hat, and goopy eyes.

Mom and daughter

Our first (rather unsuccessful) family picture.

We didn't get pictures of all of our visitors, but here is Aunt Sarah.

and Uncle Adam.

SHE is here!

Kendree Rae arrived today at 12:28p.m. after what I can only say was a crazy labor (more details on that, but all I can say now is no time for any drugs whatsoever).

6lbs. 3oz. and 18.75 inches

She is perfect and looks almost exactly like her older brother did as a newborn.

I know you all want to kill me for not having pictures on here yet, but I PROMISE I will put some up early tomorrow.

No baby yet, but...

39 weeks it is. Sorry for the delay in posting. I got hit with a flu bug on Sunday night and no one wanted to see a picture of me yesterday--believe me. It's times like that, when I ship my kid off to Grandma's house so I can sleep for 4 blessed hours that I LOVE living by family. Don't worry though, I'm feeling good now and it's a good thing because....

I'm scheduled to go into the hospital at 8pm tonight! So crazy to think about! Don't be thinking that a baby will be popping out very soon, since last Thursday I was still not dilated at all and only 60% effaced. I'm just hoping that all goes well--I don't really care how long it takes. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm determined to push for less than 2.5 hours this time. :)

There is still a slight chance that I will be bumped, but only if 3 other ladies in Laramie decide to go into labor on their own, so I don't think that will happen (fingers crossed).

It's so surreal to think that I could be holding a baby in my arms by midday tomorrow.

Don't worry, we'll keep you posted!

The end of the crafts

My crafting to-do list (well, the realistic one) is complete. I wasn't sure with the earlier induction if I would have to let a few things go, but I was able to squeeze it all in.

First, my good friend Lindsey, taught me how to make these beaded watch bands. I've been wanting to do this for almost a year, but the price of the pre-made ones is too much for my pocket book, so would you believe I made all five of these (with LOTS of beads left over) for $20? I love when crafting actually saves you money.
When we were in Cali over Christmas break, I found some oilcloth on sale and my sweet mother-in-law bought it for me. Ever since then, a crafting/baking apron for Easton has been on my list. I finally got it all done yesterday (less than an hour from start to finish) and used this tutorial and pattern. I did make a few adjustments (mainly the ones she recommends in her post. The bottom measures 9 inches (where hers is 6) so it goes all the way around Easton's legs, the neck straps are separate pieces so I can tie the apron as high as I want on his body and I added the pocket. Now, if I could just get him to wear it, we would be set. :)

And finally, I made this minky blanket for the new little one (if it is a girl of course). Easton can not survive without his blanky, and I have what seems like a million "castoffs" that didn't satisfy him when I was trying to come up with a back up solution for him (just in case, you know). So, a boy baby has plenty of those to choose from and now, thanks again to my mother-in-law, a girl will be set as well.

I even had enough fabric to make a "lovey" so I can have a smaller size for the diaper bag, etc.

If I was really good, I would have also found time to make the Mr. Potato Head out of felt or the felt playhouse that goes over a card table, but alas--maybe another time!

And the Quilts are Complete!

Nothing like procrastination, I always say. Let's remember that the tops for these quilts were done in mid-October. Then, it was Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas and I kept on coming up with excellent reasons why it wasn't a good time to call my machine-quilting lady. I finally got on the ball about two weeks ago, and the saint of a woman that she is turned these around in less than a week. Next, all I had to do was cut them down and finish the binding.

First, let me say that I do my binding by machine. Hardcore quilters would shun me, but I'm a "quick results" kinda gal and it works great for me. There was no other way on earth that I could have done four quilts in preparation for this baby.

I LOVE the way this one turned out. The "vintage-y" type fabric with the shrinking 100% cotton batting was the perfect blend.

The boy version of this quilt still has the shrinking aspect, but isn't quite as charming since the fabric is so "in your face" bright. Ronnie thinks that the polka dot fabric I used for the backing is incredibly girly, but I disagree. Thoughts?

This one is by far the largest and I didn't intend for it to be that way at all. I am loving the way it came out, but do question my judgement (just the slightest bit) as to why I thought so much white was a good idea.

And finally, my Ruffle Strip Quilt. I love it. Just as much as the day I decided to make it happen. I decided that I wanted the ruffles to shine, so I didn't do any kind of a border and kept the binding simple. I do think a ruffle edge would have been absolutely charming, but time just wasn't going to let me learn/figure out how the heck to do that.

Now, we just need to see what this little one is, so I know which two quilts to put away for next time!

38 weeks

I have to admit that the thought of a baby in just a little more than a week is a bit daunting. Why is it that these last few weeks of pregnancy always seem to fly by for me? I am still feeling great, and I've even been sleeping better this last week. I think part of it is that I refuse to let myself look at the clock anymore during the night, so I have no idea whether I just adjusted my position 30 minutes ago or three hours ago. It's all mental, right?

My to-do list before this baby seems to have grown exponentially since we got the news that I am going to be induced. For instance, on Saturday I NEEDED to make the throw pillows on my couches fluffier. There was no getting around it. Luckily, I had all of the supplies on hand and just a short time later, that was crossed off, but seriously....throw pillows?

I'm down to two pairs of shoes that comfortably fit. The flats you see below and my trusty Mary Jane Crocs. You may think that those shoes right there let my swelling feet go whatever way they want to, but you would be wrong.


See? Even my toes want to swell, but the darn flats just won't let them. It should be noted that these pictures were taken at 11a.m., so you can just imagine the huge-ness at the end of the day. I know, you wish you were me.

My sister Erc and I were having a discussion about swelling feet on Saturday and she was telling me about a pair of flip flops that are stretched so much from her pregnant feet that she can't wear them anymore (she was in St. George when she was pregnant, so flip flops were an option). After going on about how huge her feet were, I decided to take off my Mary Jane Croc and show her what mine were looking like. I put one up on the bar stool and she says, "Oh! Mine were never that big!"

Thanks Erc. Thanks a lot.