WHAT?!

How is my baby already a month old! I can't believe we have had him for that long already. I imagine that the more kids you have the faster the months go by. Before I know it he will be 16, dating, and driving. CRAZY. Really, time needs to slow down sometimes. We are so grateful David is in our family. We feel a little more complete, a bit more crazy, and a lot more love.
The first month of a babies life doesn't have a lot of milestones but here are some things we have noticed about David.
- STRONG. That boy has an amazing ability to keep his legs and hands scrunched up. It makes it really hard to change a diaper, his clothes or to swaddle him. He likes to have his hands up by his face most of the time so trying to get them down by his waist is hard. I honestly think he is stronger then me :) He is also really good at holding his head up. From the very beginning I was impressed with his ability to hold his head up for a few seconds. Now he can go for quite awhile before needing a break, but after a few seconds his head is right back up.
- ALERT. To put it bluntly, he came out with his eyes wide open and they stayed wide open for the next 30 minutes while we bonded. People always comment on how alert he is because he is so wide eyed! This is quite the change for us since with sienna, she has slightly droppy eyelids so everyone always makes comments like "oh, someone is sleepy, she must have just gotten up from a nap, she must need a nap, is she sick?...etc" Not all the time, but quite often David is pretty content to just sit and stare at whatever for long periods of time, Like an hour. He likes it when someone comes and talks to him or hold his hand, but he is also pretty good at just hanging out by himself. Also, Sienna would fall asleep with one pat on her back. David takes a little bit more coaxing and is definitly awake much more then Sienna ever was.
- He is a pretty good sleeper. He goes to bed around 10-10:30 and will sleep for at least 3 hours and sometimes blesses us by sleeping for 4.5 hours. Eat, sleep for 3 hours, eat and then may or may not go back to sleep. But he doesn't nap well durig the day unless he is being held
- He has got the cutest lip quiver. He does it mostly when he is on the verge of crying but sometimes it happens randomly.

He got to play baby Jesus in the p;ay"Savior of the World" He was absolutly perfect.

Meeting Santa for the first time.

Christmas Jammies from Grandma Termeer. (WIDE EYES)

On the day of his baby blessing

I mustache you a question... Did you have a good christmas?

Photos taken by Kelsey Pankhurst.

Gosh, you melt my heart.

Baby birth story

Warning: read at your own risk, it is a birth story so expect certain details. There may be some sugar coating but you have been warned. And sorry, it's long, but you it's hard to be brief when so much happened!

He was such a stubborn little baby. At 39 weeks I wasn't dilated at all but she said his

head was right there which was good. Fast forward a week to the day of my next appointment. I lost my mucus plug and I am thinking "wow, things are about to get real here" and I was excited for my appointment, sure that she would tell me I was dilated to a 3 or something. Alas, I was still not dilated. Not even one measly centimeter. The next two mornings I woke up to having lost more mucus plug. I also started getting stronger and more often false labor contractions. Wednesday morning from 4-7 I even had consistent 8-10 minute apart contractions for 3 hours. So I got up feeling pretty optimistic about the day. But alas, they stopped when I started moving around and just occurred every once in awhile. 

Wednesday night I got home from an enrichment activity and started having pretty consistent contractions ever 5 mins so we went to the Cardston hospital because there was no way I was driving into Lethbridge (45 mins away) at 10:30 at night just to be told nothing was really going on. The Dr. on call checked to see if I was dilated and sure enough, I was at a 0 still. The only plus was that babies head was really low so he suspected my labor shouldn't last very long when it finally happened. Thursday and Friday came and went with nothing really going on. I had decided that Saturday morning I would drink castor oil and see if I couldn't get things going.

Friday night I was having a hard time sleeping as I was having really bad contractions. I had just changed my position to hands and knees for a contraction when I felt little baby punch and then a gush. I was pretty sure my water had just broke but it wasn't at all like I expected since it was such a small amount. We text my mom to come watch sienna and we are off to the hospital in Lethbridge. (This is at about 1:45 in the morning)

We get to the hospital and they check to see how dilated I am. I am a whooping 1 cm. (they were probably being generous too) They give me some morphine and gravel to help with contraction pain so I could fall asleep. At about 9 in the morning I get checked again and I am at a 2. That might seem discouraging to some but for the 41 week pregnant woman who hadn't dilated at all before, this was pretty awesome. Dr. Browne was on call and decided that we should just get this show on the road. At first I thought I would try no epidural, but after some of the contractions I had that night and being hooked up to the drip which only makes them more intense I just decided to get on from the start. so before they even hooked me up to the drip I got an epidural and it was so nice to not feel any contractions. Only problem was it did some crazy stuff to my body. First I got super hot and dizzy, then I got cold and could not stop shaking uncontrollably.
The nurse told me to tell her when I could feel pressure on my bum because that would be a good sign of things progressing. At about noon, an hour after my epidural and being on the drip I thought I could feel some pressure. They checked and I was now at a 3 and there was a sack of membranes ready to break, which was likely the pressure I was feeling. At the rate I was dilating I was pretty sure I wouldn't be having a baby till late in the night and was super glad I had gotten an epidural. I took a little nap and Matt watched something on his lap top. When I woke up about a hour and a half later I could feel lots more pressure. I was checked again and it went something like this "hmm it feels like you are a 6. Wait, you might be closer to a seven. Hold on, Take a nice deep breath and let it out. You are actually at a 10. You are ready to go" I was shocked! and so grateful that Matt hadn't left to go get something to eat like I had suggested. The Dr. was called and while we waited for him to come they had me do some practice pushing. *Bragging moment* They said I was awesome at pushing, much better then expected.

The only problem was with each contraction now baby's heart rate would drop and then come back up after the contraction was over. They figured the cord was being compressed some how, like around his neck or he was holding it. So I kept poking him and telling him to let it go if that was the case. I really did not want another c-section and knew that this was something that could make that happen. Dr. Browne arrived so the real fun begun. I did a couple of pushes and then he said they would need to hook up the vacuum to his head. Originally, I didn't want a vacuum or forceps used, but if it meant I could avoid a c-section, I was all about it. After a couple more pushes he was here! It was the most incredible thing ever. I loved seeing him take his first few breaths and hearing his little cries. I loved getting to hold him so soon after and take in the fact that I just did that. Things went according to plan and he was here healthy and happy. And boy do we love him!

David Matthew Termeer

Born at 2:45 November 21st

7lbs 8 oz 19 inches

If you look close you can see how squished his poor nose was.

Bigger then I expected! That's what a whole extra week will do to you I guess

Already striking poses for the camera

 For the most part sienna really likes him.

Post birth trauma rauma

Since my birth story was long enough as it was I thought I'd give this story its own post. 

I had been looking forward to my post birth meal for weeks now. Matt and I had talked about getting the keg but didn't know how good the steaks would be upon delivery. So we decided to go with luigi's pizza. SO GOOD. By the time Matt got back with it, they were just getting ready to take me to my new room, so despite how delicious it smelled, it had to wait. We get into our room and Matt asks if I want a piece, and I do cause I am starving, but they are talking about checking my vitals and going to the bathroom, blah blah and I really want to just enjoy this meal, so we wait. The nurse stands me up and leads me into the bathroom gives a run down and leaves. As I am trying to go, I start feeling very light headed, so I call Matt in and tell him to bring the pizza, thinking I just need to eat something since I just did the marathon of labor and hadn't eaten since that morning. Matt starts feeding me a few bites of pizza and I can feel my eyes getting heavy, and it's getting harder to chew and swallow. Next thing I know Matt is yelling at the top of his lungs, NURSE, and I am resting my head on his shoulder. (Come to find out Matt had been yelling for them to come for a few minutes because he couldn't find the nurse alarm in the bathroom and didn't want to just let me or the precious pizza drop. 

So a few nurses come running in and they lift me off the toilet and tell me not to look at the ground but to pick a spot on the wall and focus on it. I start taking a few baby steps but I can feel darkness closing in around me and the hole is getting smaller and smaller. I tell them I don't think I am going to make it to the bed, and honestly I don't remember if I did, because the next thing I remember is lying in the bed and waking up to nurses yelling my name. Matt said when I first passed out he was pretty sure I was dead because he had tried shaking me awake and had been yelling for the nurses for awhile but I didn't respond. I honestly thought I had just fallen asleep and that everything was totally normal. Needless to say the rest of the night was a wash for me, which was sad cause my family came in to see baby and I could barely keep my eyes open and I had wanted to get all these pictures but forgot to tell people to take some. So sadly baby doesn't have very many pictures of him with anyone at the hospital 

Third and final stretch

This pregnancy has flown by! Baby boy will be here any time now. Which I am excited and nervous for. I kind of don't mind him staying in for longer cause I am so going to miss my time with Sienna and I know she will miss it too! (It will be a mad house for awhile. Tears, screams, laughter) But I am so excited to finally have him here and hold him in my arms. Nothing is more sweet then holding a precious new babe in your arms.

The third trimester was great to me. Major pregnancy symptoms were

- being hot. Especially at church. Few times I thought I might pass out. 

- insomnia. I hate getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. That choice might mean I am awake for the next hour

- going to the bathroom like crazy. Sometimes literally 5 minutes later.

- Few Braxton hicks contractions. With Sienna I got them from like week 22. But with this little guy I didn't start getting them till like week 36.

-pelvic floor pain. Yikes. Again with Sienna I got it earlier, but this time around has been way more painful! 

I have been kicking it into drive and getting things prepped for baby's arrival. I have been doing more research on birth plans and hospital bags. With Sienna I did neither! I survived last time without either and won't be too specific on my birth plan but it's nice to have an idea of what I would like to try and have happen. Fingers crossed I won't have to do a c-section again. Some friends just threw me a fantastic baby shower and another friend gave me all her old boy clothes to use so baby boy is set in that department.

Currently I am over due! And while I don't like the "fact" I am over due, it also doesn't really bother me. He is easier to take care of inside instead of out. I can get a full nights rest still, and I have more time with just Sienna. But hopefully things will begin to progress soon. I have been getting a lot more false labor pains, but nothing very consistent or that last for longer then probably 30 seconds. I have been walking on the treadmill every day but that hasn't really been helping too much I dont think other then giving me some exercise. Oh well. He will come when he wants. The good news is, he didn't come on Matt's birthday. (Nov 17th) We really wanted him to have his own day and not share with his dad. Now in order to not share with his twin cousins he either has to come today (18th), or not until Saturday. Too many November birthdays to work around!

This is really 40 weeks and 4 days. I had taken a different one, but the shirt/angle really didn't show off the belly I had. I still don't have much to show off, but it's better then the one before! 

18 months

Figured I would do a little update on Sienna, before baby boy comes and takes up all my time and pictures of him start filling my phone, since he will actually just lay there instead of trying to steal my phone/ipad or running around.

Sienna Sienna Sienna. Everyday I love her more. She is so sweet, so funny, and so terrible all at the same time.

At 18 months sienna loves to...
- feed her stuffed animals and little baby doll. She even makes a little smacking noise as she feeds them
- disobey. She thinks if she smiles sweet enough its okay to do it. And she has been right on lots of occasions cause I have a hard time staying stern when she does that.
- draw, mostly with pens, which have become the bane of my existence. She will not listen to me when I tell her to only draw on paper. And she knows it is bad because she will go around the house saying uh-oh and pointing out all the places she has drawn on. But on the plus side, she is quite proficient at holding a pen, as in she holds it correctly 95% of the time.
- get every soft blanket, stuffie in the house and cuddle with them as she drinks her bottle
- read books about halloween
-crack hard boiled eggs
- eat hot things, like salsa and tapatio.
- play in the sand box at stay in play. She plays there for about 90% of the time.
- be sung to, but only certain songs. I start a song and she quickly lets me know that isn't the one she wants, so I continue to sing the beginning of every song I know until I figure out the one she wants. then I have to sing it over and over and over.
- eat vitamin C. Every time we go to my parents house she immediatly runs to their bedroom where my dad has his stash by the bed.

Other noteworthy facts about sienna.
- starting to speak more! She says, hi, hey, meow, treat, cheese, light, ball, bottle, pumpkin (bumbun), cee (for vitamin C), her name-SiSi, grandma, mum, dad, uh-oh, up, apple, hop, pup pup, bowl, hat and I am embarressed to say...ipad. #parentfail? But maybe I redeem myself with the fact that when we drive past the temple she will point and say temple. 
- she can sign more, milk, and please. But really she only uses more and thinks that it will get her whatever she wants.
- When asked where is Sienna? She runs into matt's office where Grandma Termeer drew a picture of her on the white board and points to it.
- Has been such a stinker when it comes to eating. She either has to be on my lap or watching the ipad. It's so annoying and I am having a hard time breaking the habit, because I just want to eat my meal in peace!
- If matt has something she wants, she has learned that giving him a kiss usually gets her the item.

I hope they call me on a mission! For a few days she was obsessed with the Book of Mormon

She went thru a phase where she walked around with things on her head, all day. Blankets, pajamas, and a car seat head holder thing.

Just eating some chips and salsa with dad.

Loves pumpkins!

Siennas first masterpiece. You can see that she accidently drew a stick person on her leg

Cheese face

Picture of her that she loves!

A little cuddle time with daddy. So tender

How she spends a lot of her day.

Happy Halloween! Sienna loved trick or treating and kept trying to go into peoples houses to get more candy!

She also loves that bug costume and wants us to put it on still.

She is also obsessed with this polar bear hat. She carries it around the house all the time.

We love this baby girl so much! We can't wait to see what she is like with little baby brother and how much she will grow and mature as she takes on the roll of BIG sister.

So long sweet summer

I know lots of people like the fall, and I would probably like it more if in Canada it meant a month or two about 20 degree weather, but no. Fall is practically winter around here. So needless to say I miss the hot summer days, even though at the time I couldn't wait for cooler weather.
This was such a fun fun summer for us. Here are some highlights

Sienna's first parade.

She loved the parade. She wouldn't let me take any candy from her so her bag and hands were overflowing. She loved looking at the floats and especially loved seeing the horses.

Sienna loves to play in the water. We went to the pool everyday we could. If we didnt make it to the pool I would turn the hose on and she would just play with that. We are so sad that the pool is closed for the season. Really wishing cardston had a good indoor pool right about now.

We went to Waterton a few times and played at lots of parks over the summer.

And of course ate tons of ICE CREAM! Isn't she so danty and polite when she eats ice cream?

Wally's beach. Tip for next year, go earlier in the season because the water gets realllly low come August.

Loves her stuffies and a minky blanket.

Give this girl a cob and she is good to go for at least 20 minutes.

This is how we spent some rainy days. In a little fort watching a movie, with a snack.

Poor babe got her first wasp bite. But she was so tough and only whined for like 5 seconds! We were so impressed. Especially because Matt got bit a few days before hand and complained for the rest of the night! :)

SUMMER COME BACK