This weeks ups and downs

Tuesday Connor came home from preschool not feeling well. At lunch he said he didn’t want any and he wanted to take a nap (knowing Connor… He would NEVER say something like that… ) so we started to worry about him. Later that night we noticed he was having a hard time swallowing… his tonsils were swollen. In the morning he was still not feeling well so we took him to the doctor. Connor has hand-foot and mouth disease. The doctor told me that we were in for a nasty week. There isn’t a cure… just have to let it run it’s course. He gave us Tylenol with codeine to help…

Yesterday we noticed that now our Chloe was getting the same bug.. so we started her on the same medicine. Despite my Disinfecting it spread…. but with little ones its tough.

** Side Note…I have to once again express my gratitude for my ward… I wrote on Facebook on Tuesday after leaving the Doctor’s office what was going on with him.. and to help get the word out that hand-foot and mouth might be going around….then on Wednesday morning we heard a knock on the door.. it was my amazing friend from my ward, she brought the kids popsicles. Love you Jen! Thank you again! They love them and they have come in handy!!!! Thank you!!!!

The same day we took Connor to the doctor I had a doctor’s appointment (my 4 week postop checkup) and he put me on an antibiotic to help me in my recovery. This has been the hardest/slowest recovery I’ve had so far… it has just taken a long time for everything to heal up. It’s been really tough.. I am not 100% but hopefully soon enough. I am grateful for a doctor that has taken such good care of me.

~* But on a fun note, yesterday I offered to cut Connor and Kiel’s hair and Chloe always gets jealous… so to cheer her up I Finally gave her, her first hair cut!!! She’s 2 1/2 and its her first cut!! It was just a trim. She loved it! I am so grateful she lets me play with her hair everyday. Love you Chloe!!!*~ 

This morning.. we are all still sick. Chloe has thrown up a couple of times.. but hopefully we can get that under control and we all can get in good naps today. I have to say that we don’t get sick to often so I guess it’s our turn… but we’ve been laying low and probably will for the next week…  We just pray that we can keep Curtis from all of this. The kids know not to even get close to him. He’s just so little… it worries me. But so far he’s just fine.

Happy Birthday Kiel & Cori

Yesterday was Kiel’s 28th birthday… he shares his birthday with our Niece Cori (Sean and Michelle’s 2nd oldest daughter) we try to do something that they both would enjoy. I think our family’s “meeting spot” is Peter Piper Pizza. It’s a place where the kids can run around and be silly and we can sit around and catch up. It’s fun and for Kiel you can’t go wrong with pizza and wings. It’s always fun getting everyone together and letting the kids play. It’s nice having kids closer together in age. And now with 3 babies within 6 weeks of each other makes for more fun. We had a fun night and hopefully we made Kiel and Cori feel special on their birthdays!

*In honor of everyone’s favorite game…I got an Angry Birds cake! Delicious Chocolate Cake filled with a Cream filing and scrumptious Buttercream frosting!!

** if anyone wants some… come on over.. we have plenty of leftovers!!**

I just had to add this picture… usually Chloe is a little……uh………. aggressive  with Curtis… she means well.. but yesterday she was very sweet and while watching toons she rocked Curtis to sleep… I love my little helpers!

On our Own

On Wednesday my Mom left us… She was here for 2 whole weeks which was wonderful! I can’t say I have too many Best friends… but along with Kiel and my sister Erin, My Mom truly is my best friend. She knows me so well and we get along like sisters. She was so helpful and supportive this month. This would have been so much harder and stressful without her help. I always forget how long recovering from a C-Section takes but I am grateful for her and the help from my other family and ward members…. I have to make myself sit down and relax. But just like she wrote in her blog (http://themillersixpack.blogspot.com/2012/01/time-in-arizona-ends.html)  it was hard to say goodbye this time around… more so than in the past… I really enjoyed having her here.. She is my strength… I feel like I can conquer the world with her by my side. Thank you Momma for taking such good care of my family. It was such a blessing not having to worry about Connor and Chloe while I took care of Curtis and myself. I will never be able to Thank you enough. Love you Momma… Until March when we will all be together again… I will do my best with these 3 little ones…

Before my mom left she took this picture of Curtis.. and I just thought about how cute he is.. and how similar all my kids looked at this age… so I thought I would share… I love how they all came into this world with beautiful blue eyes and dark hair.. which lightens up very quickly… I love Curtis’ hair color but like Connor and Chloe.. I am sure it will blonde soon enough. I love my babies and feel so lucky to have them in my life.

Curtis, January 2012

Miss Chloe, August 2009

Connor, July 2007

*One Week Old*

This past week has been wonderful. Curtis is such a happy, go easy baby. I have always been lucky with such happy babies. But Curtis has been my best baby so far I have to admit. So easy going and in some ways has taught me a couple of things. I have been very blessed. He is gaining weight, sleeping great at night and just overall patient with Connor and Chloe.. which at time I am sure is a tough one : )

Recovery for me is always slower than I wish but I’m getting around just fine… I have a hard time sitting still… so having help around me has been a blessing! We’ve had a lot of visitors come and see and play with us. Last weekend and this weekend my dad has flown in to do what he does best…. Holding Curtis…. I love when my parents fight over who gets to sit and hold the baby!!

Last weekend Aunt Erin flew in to spend some time with us as well!! Connor and Chloe love their Aunt Erin and I am sure Curtis will love her just the same!!! They always hate seeing them go…

This week Curtis met a lot of Kiel’s family as well.. Uncle Alan, and Grandma Theresa came to the hospital, and after coming home Sean and Marc’s family met up with us and all 3 of the new Wendelschafer babies got together. In 2 months we had 3 babies born.

*Sean and Michelle had their 5th in December… a baby girl named Dylann.

and

*Marc and Mikia had their 1st on the same day in December… a baby boy named Stetson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning before church we couldn’t resist taking some pictures of the kids… Chloe and Connor are so sweet to Curtis, it just melts my heart.

I have to say.. Curtis was not something we were expecting… but he has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I feel so lucky to have such sweet babies!!

He’s Here!!!

The Fun began early Thursday morning… Kiel woke up around 3am to run out and get some work done before going to the hospital and I was up soon after to get cleaned up and to finish packing. I have to admit that this time around I was very calm and just felt peaceful. Once we checked into the hospital things moved along pretty quickly. Prepping for surgery was pretty easy…. it was like any other day. We were talking politics with the nurse while she was putting in my IV…. After an hour or so of “prepping” me my doctor came in and checked on me and we were ready to go. The walk to the surgery room is always a long and cold one… I was cold all morning that I was shaking. I was surprised at how smoothly things went. After 10 minutes we heard our little Curtis cry. The most frightening/beautiful sound I have ever heard. Frightening because now I have a new baby to take care of and beautiful for the same reason. This was the first time they laid the baby on my chest and let me touch him and give him a kiss.. Connor and Chloe, they just showed them to me and then took them away. He was “handsome” as Connor would say.

 

After a short 20 minute nap… they finished working on me and I was wheeled in to be with Kiel and Curtis. I hate being immobile (I am not a very patient person) but I waited until I was able to hold him. Curtis LOVES being held and cuddled. He defiantly knows I am his momma.

(in the recovery room)

First to come and visit was Chloe and Grandma!!! Chloe was so excited to see Baby Curtis!! She loves babies and she no doubt will be a great big sister!!

Then After preschool Connor came to see Baby Curtis, He was a little more hesitant to hold Curtis. He was a little timid at first.. he was so sweet and gentle.

Since leaving the hospital we’ve had a lot of recovery time at home with family. Grandpa and Aunt Erin came in for the weekend to meet Curtis and we did some Skyping with family to show off our little addition.

Every time Chloe has a chance she will immediately run to the closest chair sit down and then throw her hands up and say “Hold Baby Curtis!!” She loves it… Curtis…uh… not as much.. but he humors her long enough…

While in town my mom has rented a house… so she has been keeping my kids there so I can rest and take care of Curtis at home. It has been a major blessing having her here to help with the kids, and running them and me around. Not being able to drive or lift anything, or a lot of other things is always hard but my mom helps out so much it’s amazing!!

The house she has been staying has been wonderful. It has a great backyard that the kids are able to run around and just be silly. 

My favorite pic!!

Well Almost a week old and Curtis is 6lbs 6oz and is a beautiful, healthy, happy baby boy! I am in love with him. He’s is my cuddlebug!! It was will so fun to watch all 3 of them grow up together!! I am so grateful everything has gone so smoothly and both Curtis and I are healthy. Slowly I will get myself put back together but until then… I will try to lay low and rest!

My final week with 2….

The past couple of days I have been trying to keep up on my “to do list” and keeping the house clean and organized just in case something unexpected were to happen. I worry about that little stuff… Kiel thinks I’m crazy.. but I told him I would feel terrible if I went into labor and had to leave and there were unfolded (and put away) clothes in our room…. or if there were dishes in the sink… weird I know.. but I don’t want him to have to worry about that stuff… So the kitchen has been clean after every meal, the floors have been vacuumed almost every day, laundry is completely cleaned, folded, ironed and put away all the same day.  I don’t know if I will be able to keep it all up after this little one comes.. but for now… it helps me sleep at night.

Even though I’ve slowed down, the past couple of days have been consumed with cleaning, organizing (EVERYTHING), scrapbooking (I updated Connor and Chloe’s books), grocery shopping and just trying to keep up with the kids. Not a ton of resting going on… but I figure that’s for the hospital… right? Ha. It’s sad when Kiel is the one telling me to sit down and rest… and as I always tell him.. “yeah… in a minute….”

But we are getting more excited around here… My Momma will be here tomorrow to take over (hopefully), no pressure mom… : ) Just have to get through today and I am sure the next couple of days will breeze by. It’s not that I am nervous about surgery.. it’s more like I want to just get it over with. I know what it will be like.. so I just want it to be behind me.. and move forward. I guess I am lucky, surgery and all involved doesn’t bother me too much… I find it to be very interesting and I would probably watch but I’m sure it’s for the best that I don’t.

Well not much else to report right now… Just enjoying the last days I have left with only 2… I am excited for when Curtis comes but for now I am happy with where he is living.

Merry Christmas

This year has been wonderful! I think my favorite part was being able to go to church and to feel the spirit. I was able to be in the ward choir which was really nice. But Christmas morning Kiel and I were the first ones up so we started making noise so the kids would wake up. Lately they’ve been getting up around 8am… so we needed to move things along…. We mainly did stockings before church which was perfect… we could’ve stopped there…

Chloe is obsessed with penguins so we found this Erik penguin (from the 2nd movie) and it talks… so adorable!!

 We bought the movie Happy Feet to go along with the penguin… I figure it’s a movie we should own with her obsession….

But it was the first thing she saw and the last thing she put down until… later on in the day…. but I tried to be strategic with their stockings… quiet toys, snacks that went in new lunch boxes that they could take to church with them. It’s hard enough to leave toys behind.. so I thought something new for church would be helpful.

And as every year… Petey with his Holiday bone… yep… it was gone by the afternoon….

 

We did open a couple of presents before church one of them being the gift Chloe got Connor with “hard earned” money (ha) but it was so sweet that Connor made sure to Thank her with a hug. They have such a great relationship which I am sure will come and go.. but for now I love that they are best friends!!

After church we only had a couple of hours to open the rest of our Christmas to make it over to Kiel’s brother’s house for Christmas dinner…. We like to take our time… so 3 hours was pushing it… But the big gifts of the day were, The start of a new era for Connor… his first Lego set!! He was so excited… and with Uncle Alan to get in there with him he was in heaven… and still is!! He carries his little guys everywhere!! And for Chloe… her first Doll playhouse! When she saw it she called it her castle! To go along with her playhouse, Connor’s gift to her was furniture for her house. He did good! Since that afternoon the kids have been on the floor playing with each other nonstop. The Lego guys visit the playhouse and her people play in the Lego buildings… it’s fun to watch them play. 

This morning…

Well we made it through the holiday with no trips to the hospital. Baby Curtis is still very happy with living arrangements for the time being I guess. Which is great with me. Christmas is all put away and it’s time to get ready for a new baby in the house. I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday weekend!

From the Wendelschafer’s,

*Merry Christmas and Happy 2012*