1 Month Old- Declin

Well here we go again.  I feel like we just finished these monthly posts with Jensen, but it is now time to start again with Declin.  While they aren't the most exciting posts to write/read I am sure my kids will be happy to have them in the future and I love looking back at each month's picture to see how they have grown.

For the monthly picture I am using the same format that I did with Jensen.  Baby sitting in crib, by quilt that my mom made for, and them in a white onsie.  I think it is a cute set up and I love that each of their quilts will be unique to them (thank you thank you mom for the darling quilts!).  I plan to use this same set up with all of our kids.  I wish I had started monthly pictures with Adalyn, but I didn't.  Oh well we still took lots of pictures of her :)

Declin's first month was a great one.  With so many wonderful helpers bringing meals and checking in on us I was able to spend more time cuddling and loving on this sweet boy.  

Declin is such a sweet baby and both McKay and I both agree that he is our calmest baby yet.  If he crys or gets upset all you have to do is cuddle him and he settles right down.  He loves being around people and being held.  The first few weeks I was worried that he would want to be held all the time and with 2 other siblings I wasn't sure how I would manage that, but in the end he has been just fine being set down.  

He enjoys his swing and will easily go to sleep in it.  I try to only use the swing for 1 nap a day (usually his morning nap when I am trying to clean up and get ready for the day) so that the magic of the swing doesn't wear off from over-use.  

He loves noise and honestly can't function without it both when he is sleeping or awake.  He will sit contently and watch/listen to the kids and I play, but if we walk out of the room or get quiet he gets sad.  We often use music or sound machines to help him sleep well and feel comfortable.  It is nice that I don't have to make the kids be quiet when he is sleeping.  

As far as sleeping goes he is waking up 1 to 2 times a night to eat and then goes right back to sleep.  I think this is pretty good for a newborn since I get two good 3-5 hour stretches of sleep a night (unless one of the other kids wakes up too, which is fairly common these days unfortunately).  He slept in our room for the first 4 weeks, but has started to make the transition to his room since I got tired of the pack and play being set up in our room.  We can still hear all of his little noises though so it is not like he went too far. 

He is a great eater and eats every 2-3 hours during the day.  In between feedings we give him a binky and that definitely helps keep him calm and happy.  I am not sure how much he weighs since we haven't had a doctors appointment, but I am sure it is close to 10 lbs.  I can tell he is putting on lots of weight and has officially moved into size 1 diapers.  I also just packed away his newborn clothes because they were getting small. ;(  

At about 3 weeks old he smiled at me for the first time and it wasn't just gas :)  Can't wait until he starts doing it more regularly.  

He does not like to have his arms swaddled.  Such a weird concept for me to NOT swaddle my newborn (since the other two kids couldn't function without being swaddled for their first few months of life), but he hates it so we just "swaddle" his body and let him keep his hands.

He is a major grunter/grunt-er (is that a word?) when he is trying to fall asleep or wake up.  I usually hear him grunt before he starts crying.  Oh and he burps like a man.  Seriously loudest noise ever!  He also spits up a fair amount, especially if I burp too vigorously.  Only soft pats on the back with this one :)     

Well that about sums up his first month.  Can't wait to see what the next one brings.  

      

Visiting Declin

We were so blessed to have many visitors for a few weeks after Declin was born.  We loved it!

Grandma Liz was the first visitor.  She came to the hospital and then we saw her the day after when we arrived home.  I was so grateful for her willingness to watch our kids while we were in the hospital!  She also cleaned my house before we came home, which made coming home that much easier.

Two days after Declin was born my mom came up for about 5 days to help us get settled.  What a blessing it is to have her here after we have our babies.  She is beyond helpful and really makes those crazy days after the baby is born enjoyable.  So so grateful that she came and spent her "time off work" with us.  Thank you mom!  

 It is tradition for Grandma to give her grand kids their first bath at home.  :) 

After she left we were really sad, but it wasn't too bad, because she came back a few days later with my dad and Mykelti.  They all came up for General Conference weekend and helped out even more.  I seriously love having the visitors to help me out with the kids and to keep us all entertained.  It really helps me from getting too overwhelmed and depressed if I have something fun to focus on.  

While they were here we didn't leave the house much but we did enjoy delicious food, the boys went to priesthood together while the girls and kids watched netflix movies, and of course we enjoyed lots of sessions of conference.  (some of which I may have slept through... oops!)

  Thank heavens for Grandmas, grandpas, and aunties!

Then a few weeks later after we were feeling a little more in control with life we had a few more fun visitors.  McKay's mom came up over her fall break from work on Friday and Saturday and then my sister Corinne came up on Sunday and Monday of that same weekend.  Once again we didn't do the most exciting things since we had a newborn, but it was great to visit and show off sweet little Declin.  

With McKay's mom we watched the movie "Mom's Night Out" Friday evening (LOVED that movie, totally could relate, except for the whole going to jail part.  Highly recommend it for all you mommies out there).  Then on Saturday we went on a walk around the river and then to the farmers market.  So happy that Grandma Pace got to meet her 12th grandchild :)   

Corinne's visit was short (Stu, her husband, didn't come because he was out of town), but it was so nice to chat with her and have her help with the kids.  Monday morning we ventured out and went window shopping at the mall.  First trip out and about with all 3 kids.  It went well and hopefully I will be able to do it on my own more often... 

Wow Corinne, we look a lot a like here...

And just this past week, we had one of my good friends Natalie over for lunch and then she brought us dinner (too sweet!).  She has 3 boys who love playing with my kids.  It was so nice that the kids just played and played while the mommies got to chat all afternoon.  And I have a feeling that Carson and Declin are going to be great buddies.  :)  Once Declin grows a little bit... 

Love how they are holding hands :)

I think that about sums our month up.  We had so many generous neighbors and friends who made us dinner and gave us gifts.  We definitely feel loved :)  

  

  

Transition

These days the question I get most after "how are you doing?" is "how are you handling the adjustment?".  Declin is almost 4 weeks old and I would say we are well on our way to adjusting to this new life.  Though some of us are adjusting more gracefully then others...

SO how ARE we handling the transition from 2 to 3 kids?  First off I have to say that I am over the moon excited about not being pregnant anymore!  Being able to move, breathe, and not have to go to the bathroom every 5 sec. is better then any challenge that 3 kids throw our way.  I am so grateful that I was able to carry Declin and that there were no major complications, but I am also SO happy to be done with the whole pregnancy thing (at least for the next 10 months or so... hehe, kidding... ;)

To make this easier, more interesting, more organized I will just talk about each person separately.

McKay:  Seems to be doing well.  I know he misses his wife, but is doing a fabulous job at entertaining the "older kids".  Adalyn has been a mama's girl since the day she was born.  She ALWAYS wanted me to do everything with her, and sadly would often cry if McKay helped her.  Jensen seemed to be following that same path, just not quite as intensely as Adalyn.  But in the past few weeks they have both really started clinging more to McKay and realizing that he is a pretty great daddy(who will play with them WAY more then mommy ever will).  Jensen especially can't get enough of the rough and tumble play and will constantly beg for more and more.  Adalyn has won the heart of her daddy and he is constantly commenting on how cute she is or telling me little things that she has said.  I am so grateful for his endless amount of patience that he has for them and me.  Oh and McKay has perfected the art of sleeping through children's cry's in the middle of the night.  Each child he has gotten progressively better at the whole sleeping thing and now Jensen can scream at the top of his lungs for 3 hours and McKay can sleep through the WHOLE thing.  ;)  Lucky guy

Me:  My days are full of ups and downs so it really just depends on what day you talk to me.  But today things are going well.  Last week I had one of my hardest days so far, but we survived and learned a few more things.  A really hard thing for me is having to "stay home" for the first several weeks while Declin is still so little (especially with the recent arrival of flu season).  It is kind of torture for all of us involved.  Here I am finally feeling better and now I have to stay home.  Not that I really want to take 3 kids 3 and under very many places, but I guess I like knowing I have the option.  McKay has been really supportive and letting me sneak away in the evenings for little errands and grocery shopping.  These little outings sans kids have saved my sanity the last few weeks.  So needless to say recovery is going really well and I am loving the extra energy.  Emotionally I am doing well also and feel so grateful for this tender mercy from Heavenly Father.  So thankful that I feel mentally healthy right now because I know if I did not this transition would be SO much harder for everyone.  I have not had any signs of postpartum depression and have really only cried once, I think.  Yesterday I read a blog post from someone who had suffered with severe postpartum depression a few years ago.  I was sobbing by the end of the post.  I felt so much love and sympathy for anyone who has had to go through that.  What a rough battle to fight!  Today my toughest battle is finding ways to entertain my two very busy toddlers and feed a newborn for 12 hrs until their daddy gets home and takes over. Such a blessed life that I lead!

Adalyn:  The girl is in heaven!  Man we should have gotten her a baby brother months ago!  The girl adores Declin. She does fairly well with him, until she trys to give him a "noggin" and the poor guy starts screaming.  Since having Declin home Adalyn has really blossomed and grown up over night.  She has become more independent and trys really hard to help out with Jensen.  This girl was made to be a big sister and does a wonderful job at it.  Oh and she is a fabulous mommy to her baby too (whose name changes frequently from Sacajawea to pinky, depending on Adalyn's mood.)

Jensen:  Poor guy!  This little man has been struggling quite a bit.  Between learning to talk real sentences/words, having a cold, changing bed rooms (we moved him in with Adalyn so that Declin could have his room), lots of visitors, and becoming a big brother this little guy has been acting up and throwing lots of *fun* tantrums.  We try and be patient, but most evenings I want nothing to do with him (sorry Jensen it's not personal!) and am happy when he and McKay can just go off in the basement to play and leave me to snuggle my newborn babe.  One night he cried and cried and cried, until finally he and I were in tears.  In the end I just got him out of bed and snuggled on the couch with him for the rest of the night.  Poor thing!  This week we may be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as he had some moments of calmness, and he is not waking up in the middle of the night as often.  Adalyn did not go through this transition stage when we had Jensen so this is our first time experiencing it.  Definitely not a walk in the park, but I know in the end Jensen and Declin will be best buddies and it will all be worth it :)  And on a positive note, Jensen thinks it is hilarious when Declin touches/hits him.  He plays this game where he will sit really close to Declin and then just wait for one of his arms to swing around and hit him (Declin has some pretty wild arms so it doesn't take long).  Then Jensen will start laughing.  I honestly think he believes Declin is teasing him and trying to play with him.  So see... they are bonding already. :)

Declin: I plan to do a one month post someday on Declin and will add more details there, but just know that Declin is transitioning wonderfully into our family.  He is such a calm, cuddly baby.  He is gaining lots of weight and has the potential to have some cute baby rolls like Adalyn did.  I love baby rolls :)  Oh and I have even caught a few smiles here and there.  So sweet!

      

    

    

Schedule

Today when I was planning this week's preschool activities I ran across a piece of paper with a daily schedule on it.  It was a schedule that I wrote back in the summer of 2011, right before I had Adalyn.  I am known for writing schedules.  When life gets chaotic and unorganized I begin to crave order and routine, so I will usually write out a schedule to help bring me back to what matters most.

You see the funny part is that I am not a "schedule" person by nature so my schedules usually only last for a few weeks (if that) and then I just go back to whatever works best.  I can't tell you how many cleaning schedules I have written down, but never followed.  Yes it would be nice if I ALWAYS cleaned my bathrooms on Wednesdays or made bread on Tuesdays, but I don't.  I just do them when I feel like they need to be done and that usually works well for us.  I am sure someday when my kids are old enough to do the house cleaning I will create a schedule for them and (hopefully) make them stick to it.  Until then I just keep a running list in my head of things to get done, and then just go down the list.  Thank heaven's motherhood doesn't have a rule book, because I sure probably would not be very good at following it. ;)

Anyways back to the schedule I found.  It is hilarious, kind of sad, and wonderful all at the same time so I thought that I would share it with you today.  Yes this was my real life for several months while I was pregnant.  It was a beautiful moment in my life that I got to stop and just appreciate life. (oh and all around this daily schedule I drew stars and polka dots).  I had time for stars and polka dots!  How cool is that?!

Daily Schedule:

8:00- Wake up
8:15- Eat Breakfast
8:45- Facebook/blog
9:30- Go For a Walk
10:30- Shower
11:30- Eat Lunch
12:00- Daily Activity #1 (Can't really remember what a daily activity was, but i think it was things like pay bills or do laundry kind of things)
2:00- read scriptures
2:20- Take nap
4:00- Eat snack
4:15- Make Dinner
6:00- Eat dinner
7:00- Daily activity #2
9:00-Couple scriptures/ prep for bed
10:00-Go to bed

So there you have it folks, a snap shot of my life before kids.  Did I enjoy it as much as I should have?  Probably not.  It was a fairly lonely time for me since we had just moved to Idaho and I didn't know anyone.  Also I was just excited to hurry up and have my baby so that I could be a mommy.  :)  SO as nice as that schedule sounds, I think I will keep my busy schedule of changing diapers, and round the clock feedings even if it does drive me crazy some days.  :)    

Declin's Newborn Photos

 A few days after Declin was born we went and got some newborn photos taken.  I also had the older kids come and get some photos taken as well and decided to just count them as their "yearly" photos  So this photo shoot fulfilled 3 purposes which was really nice.  :)  I am in love with how they all turned out, especially Declin's newborn photos!  The kids did really well, considering their ages (made this mommy very happy).  If you are in the Idaho Falls area I highly recommend Katy Paskett Photography, she is wonderful!

I LOVE these two with McKay and Declin.  So Sweet!