March Catchup

Brynn absolutely adores her sister. I'm pretty sure Eden feels just the same.
Eden just keeps growing and getting stronger...

Collin with his cousin MaJesta

Naptime

Eden has started sucking these two fingers alot lately. She could care less about the pacifier, but I wonder if she'll be a thumbsucker (well, except with her other fingers).



Collin got his 1st non-home haircut today. I put a little gel in it and spiked it up a bit. He looked so cute but only kept it that way long enough for these pictures, before he flattened it out again. Oh well! He's cute that way too!


Collin and Brynn playing dress up with MaJesta

I spent so much of March preoccupied with Eden's and my health that the older kids found creative ways to entertain themselves. On this day, they made a ghost out of some things around the house (note the paper arms and legs, the hat, and eyes on the ghost). They were so proud of their creation! (Obviously Brynn selected Collin's hat from her own personal collection.)

Mine

Yes these 3 crazy little ones are mine. Messy hair, remnants of their last meal still on their mouths, and goofy grins--they are mine and I love them more than I ever could have imagined. They make me smile every single day, and I am so grateful for them.

Some funny things Collin has said lately:
--when Brynn had pink eye a couple months ago, Dave stayed home with her and Eden, while Collin and I went to church. I was buckling Collin into his carseat when he said, "Brynn can't go to church because she has blue eyes."

--The other day when trying to put on his pants by himself, I overheard Collin telling them (his pants), "You bad pants! You yucky! I'm gonna troe (throw) you in da twash (trash)!"

--A couple of days ago, I was lifting Collin up so that he could pretend to fly. I asked him if he was Superman. Then I asked him what superhero he was. I suggested Captain Collin. He yelled out excitedly, "No...Captain Crunch!"

Eden at 3 months old

Now that she almost 4 months old, I figured I better post her 3 month pictures. Eden turned 3 months on March 7th.
I love all the content, smiley pictures of babies, but since that's not reality 24 hours a day, I also get a few of these:Seriously though, don't you want to nibble those arms?

The look that gets her almost anything she wants:

And the look that shows she knows she has us wrapped around her finger:
Although she is awake in this picture, this is typical of how Eden sleeps--fingers in her mouth and the other hand on the back of her head...
Love those big blue eyes!
I had to get a picture of her hair. As is common with little babies, her movement has caused a bald spot to be rubbed into the back of her hair. Just above that, she has that longer patch of hair that naturally grows sideways and looks like a little comb-over. Whoever thought a comb-over could be so adorable?
At 3 months old, Eden:
--1st rolled from tummy to back on March 2nd, and rolled from her back to her tummy just after turning 3 months old, on March 12th
--weighs about 11 lbs 7 oz
--is transitioning from sleeping in her carseat at night, to sleeping in the pack n play
--is already very social and doesn't mind being held by others
--if her pacifier falls out or isn't given to her, she usually has her fingers in her mouth
--has tiny feet and wears size newborn shoes; she still fits into some of her 0-3 month clothes, but has also started wearing some size 3-6 month clothes
--is just growing out of size 1 diapers
--is a very high maintenance baby, but is very loved by her family!

What a month!

February ended up being a month I was more than happy to say goodbye to. It seemed like someone in our family was sick at any given time during the month. As we were finally looking forward to getting out of the house on a more regular basis since Eden's birth, we ended up homebound for most of February.

A sure sign that one of the kids are sick--they fall asleep somewhere besides their room
If Brynn sleeps anytime before 9pm or after 7am, we know she is sick.
Eden provided us with a trip to the hospital after she got RSV. It was a chaotic time, since Brynn and Collin were also sick, I was having my own issues, and my mom was out of town for most of February. My sweet dad dropped everything on several occasions to help us out (despite the fact that it was his busiest time of year at work). He went with us to take Eden to the hospital. The pediatrician had called in Eden's information and we were supposed to have a bed waiting for her when we arrived at the hospital. However, the hospital couldn't find any information and we waited for hours until my dad went into protective dad mode and they suddenly had a room available. Fortunately we were well taken care of once we got a room. The hospital has a floor for babies and toddlers, but we ended up on the floor for kids, because there were so many babies with RSV that the other floor was already full.

By the time we got settled into a room, Eden was actually in a good mood and smiling. She couldn't stop smiling as my dad entertained her.
We were in the hospital for a couple of days, but she only had to be given oxygen for the 1st day. Good thing, because as soon as she would fall asleep, her little hand would grab onto the oxygen tube and she finally yanked it out in her sleep. For the duration of our stay, she had a monitor hooked up to her toe to track her heart rate and oxygen levels. Her feet and toes are so tiny that the alarm was always going off because the monitor would get disconnected each time she would curl her toes.
The blanket she is lying on was given to us at the hospital. There is an organization of "little old ladies", as a nurse put it, that make blankets for the patients. I remember Collin received a few blankets when he was in the hospital for his heart surgery, and it was so nice to think that even people I didn't know cared enough about my kids to do something kind for them. I want to add that to my list of things to do when I'm a little old lady.
Finally getting some sleep...(I just love how she sleeps with her hands by her face)...
My Grandma B was one of the visitors who came to the hospital to see us...
And so did my Grandpa L and his wife, Grandma Bertha...
After Eden's brief hospital stay, she came home to finish recovering, and did even better than expected. We had been told that RSV is "the cold that never ends" and to expect the congestion to go on for 2 more weeks. However, less than a week later, Eden was pretty much back to normal. We were so blessed that she did so well, and also so grateful for all the help we received with Eden and our other sick kids. We had family members help out in ways that I will be eternally grateful for. We had members of our ward bring us dinner for several nights and also watch the older kids so we could be at the hospital with Eden. We felt so supported and cared for, and I learned alot about service through the example of others.

Since we spent so much time at home, the kids found creative ways to entertain themselves. Brynn especially would come up with interesting things for her and Collin to do. One day, she put together a "pinata" for her and Collin. She took Collin's foam sword, and attached a Barbie doll to it. They took turns hitting the Barbie with her stuffed cat, and after a good swing, she would announce, "You win 70 dollars!". I felt a little guilty that they had to resort to that for entertainment, but it did bring a smile to my face.
At the end of the month my mom returned from her trip to Egypt and Jerusalem. We were glad that she had a good time, but we were so excited to see her again! She spent one night at her house, and then spent alot of nights at our house helping us out. She is seriously the most selfless person I know, and such a good example to me of Christ-like service. I don't know what I would do without her.
Another form of entertainment for the kids has been assisting in bathing Eden. Brynn has become the official leg/foot washer and Collin has given himself the job of playing in the water until most of it is outside of her little bathtub. He's good at it too.
My three little monkeys...
I finally got a picture of how Eden has been sleeping lately. One hand behind her head and the other in her mouth. I just want to nibble on those little fingers myself.
And just because any picture of a sleeping baby is a cute picture to me...