Axton turned 4!

Axton turned 4 on Saturday (Sept 17)! He got to pull an "Aunt Katie" and make his birthday last almost a week. On his birthday he got to wake up and open presents.

I was too tired to put the presents away after wrapping them so I "hid" them with the blanket incase he woke up before us. Not that he didn't figure out right away what was under it!


Always excited for more cars

Love this face!


Then he got to play with them while mom slept. During that time he also got to pick what he wanted for breakfast and surprise surprise he picked donuts, so him and Dad went to Albertsons to buy donuts. Then he got to play with his toys again, we went swimming, he got to pick what he wanted for lunch, again no surprise he picked McDonald's. Then it was family nap time! After naps we took him for ice cream. The rest of the night was spent playing games that he got for his birthday. He got a couple of games, puzzles, movies, and a remote control car! He was spoiled!

Sunday all of his cousins came over and we had tacos and cake. I tried to talk him into a different cake than last year, but his heart was still set on Lightning Mcqueen so I made him one again this year.



Monday he got to take cupcakes to school and have a tiny celebration there too. I hope he doesn't think he gets to do this every year.

Maybe next year though he'll actually get a birthday party, I was just too tired and busy with the new addition that I barely managed to invite family over for it!

Axton we love you and all the fun you bring to our family. You have been a great big brother so far, and a relatively easy child to raise. You make us laugh daily and we love spending time with you whether it's reading books, doing puzzles, talking, or just cuddling. Happy Birthday and here's a look back at the past!

Birth


1st Birthday


2nd Birthday


3rd Birthday

Changes

Given our fertility issues I went into this pregnancy knowing it could be my last, but hoping it wouldn't be. I tried to enjoy it as much as I could and not complain too much. Then we had her and I found out that there was a real chance of her being our last, but thankfully things worked out and we at least have a shot at having more, God willing.

I knew having two kids would be an adjustment but having another baby in our home has changed me in a way I didn't expect. Despite being tired and not getting anything done (and her crying a lot!) I am actually more patient and happy than I've been in a while.

I can't seem to get enough cuddle time with either of my children. I give (and get) so many more hugs and kisses. I've been forced to slow down and just learn to enjoy my children doing things at their pace instead of the crazy world pace I've gotten used to. I look forward to playing endless rounds of Candyland, and attempting to answer all the questions Axton has these days, even if his many questions are about my boobs right now! I look for things Axton and I can do together. I've started reading books to both kids again, and singing songs to and with them. I am truely enjoying being a mother to two kids and if you asked me today if I was ready for more I would say yes, only can I please skip the bad parts of pregnancy and just have another one delivered in 9 months!

My heart is full these days and I feel like I am accomplishing what God wants me too, even if my house is a wreck, I haven't showered, and I have a headache from all the crying! I have a renewed love for my children and Greg, and a greater appreciation for our parents, extended family, and friends. I'm so grateful that we have been blessed with two precious souls to raise, teach, and love; and that Greg and I are able to do it together. I hope we are blessed with more. This is really what life is all about for me and I'm loving it. Thank you Greg for working hard so that I can stay home all the time with our sweet children, it really is a blessing.

Guests

Well Kenzington joining our family was definitely the change I was wanting and boy is having two kids time consuming! My days go by so fast that I feel like I am getting nothing done. So here is a post in hopes that I'll feel like I accomplished something, although there are a hundred other things I should be doing, like sleeping!

We have had guests like crazy since Kenzington joined us but we are finally on our own, and I'm getting thrown back into the real world big time. But here are some highlights from the first weekend, as in we had gotten home the day before!

Greg's mom was here already when Kenzington decided to join us and so she got to stay with us for 10 days. She was a life saver since she is a morning person and would get up with Axton and take him to school for me, then they'd go play with cousins after school, and come home for nap time and the rest of the evening. It was heavenly since Kenzington was still sleeping a lot and then I didn't have to worry about Axton at all.


Greg's dad was able to come up the two weekends after Kenzington was born. The first time he came up he brought Aunt Katie and Uncle Spencer with him, the second time he brought the "adopted" son Thomas.


Katie and Spencer


On Saturday EVERYONE came over. It was a mad house and I think I am still recovering from it! But we were able to get a picture of most of the Leavitt grandkids, only missing Camille (UT) and Kenzington (who was asleep)!


Doggy pile on Spencer


Seeing who could jump the highest


Trying to dodge flying pillows (good thing I am wanting to recover them when I find a fabric I like since they got torn to shreds).


Grandma chasing them


Dancing with Aunt Katie


Overall the weekend went well and I think everyone had a good time.

Kenzington Rose

Well as most of you know our baby girl joined our family, and she even cooperated and came a few days early! She was born on Thursday, August 11th at 2:35pm. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was almost 20 in.

Birth Story for those who care!

Wednesday night I started having contractions around 11. I wanted to make sure they were the real thing before I told Greg. Unfortunately I ended up waking him up around 1 due to my restlessness. So then neither of us got any more sleep. Greg stayed up and played golf on the Wii while I showered, shaved, dressed, cleaned the house, and packed! Luckily his mom was already in town and staying at his sister's so we called her around 4 to see if she'd come stay with Axton so we didn't have to wake him up to transport him to someone else's house.

We got to the hospital around 5:30 and found out I was at a 4. Within the hour I was at a 5+ so they kept me. We went up to the delivery room at 7. We then got the joyous news that the doctor on call had a surgery around 8 so they wouldn't be doing anything with me until at least 10. When I got the ivs in my contractions slowed way down. They decided not to do anything about it since the dr wasn't available anyways. Then around 9 we found out he had another surgery scheduled and wouldn't be able to come until after 12 or later so it was up to me if we wanted to stay or go home since I had stopped progressing. I was still having contractions though and I really wanted this baby here so we opted to stay.

By 1 the dr had come in and broken my water which really jump started things and reminded me that I LOVE epidurals! They also gave me a little pitocin to really get things going quickly. By 2 I was ready to go and by 2:35 she was here. Luckily she was born healthy and happy and Greg was already hers. They fell in love instantly. Unfortunately I can't say the same for me.







They had a really hard time getting the placenta out and I was miserable. When it did come it ripped apart, but they didn't know that. It looked like it was intact and that all was well but alas we were in for a long afternoon/evening.

I kept bleeding and clotting like no other and so they kept trying out different meds to make it stop, resulting in lots of cramping of the back and stomach and I really felt like I was in labor all over again and to add insult to injury I couldn't keep anything down. Overall I felt horrible and not myself at all. Greg kept asking me if I wanted to hold the baby and I just couldn't do it, not because I didn't want to but I just didn't feel up to it.

Shari had brought Axton in to see baby sister and I was so sad that I couldn't sit and just enjoy it. I knew in the back of my mind that something was wrong and I was terrified of ending up in surgery. So around 7 Shari took Axton home and the doctor came in to see what was going on with me.


They discovered then that some of placenta had been left behind and decided to try to get it out in the room. Luckily my nurse had forsaw this step also and she had left my epidural line in so I didn't have to go through that a second time as well. So I got a second round of the epidural, and became a pin cushion! They gave me more meds to try to make my body help release the placenta, nothing like four shots to the legs to help with that. But it causes diarrhea so I then got another shot to counteract it. Then they shot me up with something else which causes nausea, and since I was already sick they had to shoot me up with Zofran to counteract that. I know there was some other shots done but by then I was burning up, sick to my stomach, and feeling the need to pass out.

Luckily that's when my brother-in-law showed up to help give me a blessing since we had already been warned that this could end up in surgery. I was very out of it at this point, and trying so hard to not pass out that I don't have a clue what the blessing was, I only remember Greg talking and how emotional he was. He had to have been terrified too.

They tried to get the rest of the placenta out while in the room but it wasn't working so they took me to the OR. I just remember thinking that they could have my uterus as long as I got to raise the 2 children I had.

In the OR I was definitely in and out of it. The meds were working nicely and with the oxygen on my face it was my own little heaven. I was tired from not getting any sleep the night before, and the stress and blood loss had taken it's toll as well so I let the meds take over. All I remember is at the end when everyone started cheering because the placenta had "miraculously" decided to come out on it's own just as they were getting ready to put me under to do a D&C and possible hysterectomy. I just remember feeling relieved and the doctor even said that it wasn't his doing that the placenta had come out but instead the workings of the blessing. Definitely a testimony building experience.

As soon as they brought me back in to the room with Greg and Kenzington I was instantly awake and so glad to have a husband who was able to give me the blessing but also be there for our children. It was then that I realized how scared he had been but how strong he had tried to be for me. All I wanted to do was hold my family close to me. That is when Kenzington and I finally got to bond, and it was such a sweet experience.

The next morning they were still talking about giving me a blood transfusion but decided that based on test results and how well I was doing that it wasn't necessary and we even got the ok to go home! No one could believe how quickly I had recovered. I was so excited and couldn't wait to get home and onto a new life with our family.

Axton loves his sister, but he didn't want to hold her. It took a lot of convincing to get him to and then even more to get him to act happy about it!


Finally getting to spend some time with Axton, he loved making the bed go up and down.

Feeling so much better the next day

G-ma with Kenzington


Home from the hospital

camping- major photo overload!

We have talked about going camping for ages. We went twice before we had Axton and then haven't been since. Axton loves the father/son campout every year and Greg said he does well so we decided to go. We tried to get Greg's siblings to go with us but the first week it just didn't work out. So we ended up going on July 1st with some friends, the Nield's for just Friday night, we all had to be to church on Sunday. They have 4 kiddos, one of which is only a month younger than Axton. They had a blast together. I though was a slacker and didn't take any pictures. We had so much fun, and I actually slept pretty good for being 34 weeks along, and so we decided to do it again the following weekend when we could stay the two nights.

This time we did take pictures and Greg's sister, Kim, and her family joined us for some of it. This time we got to stay in the campground which was much appreciated by me because trying to go to the bathroom in the wilderness, with sparse, little trees wasn't the easiest task the week before! Can't believe I didn't think about that before going!

This is the lake we stayed by. I can't wait to bring a canoe up so we can explore it more, but that won't be happening until next year.


Axton's favorite "dry" past time at the lake was throwing rocks in. The bigger the better. I finally had to start limiting the size afraid he would either drop it on himself or go over with it when he threw it.



They had some HUGE fish! Or not. The half a dozen we caught between the two weekends were all this size.



The best part about camping with Axton is that when it gets dark, he BEGS us to go to bed. The down side, as soon as the sun is up so is he! It makes perfect sense to him. So even though I slept half decent I was still really tired come 5:30am and the cousins were all still sleeping so Greg graciously got up with him and they went exploring for about 45 mins.




After breakfast we went back to the lake to swim. I forget how much I miss swimming,tubing/boating in lakes and rivers. I prefer it over a swimming pool any day, probably even over the ocean because of the nasty salt in the ocean. Axton loves it too, especially since with his tube or life jacket he can swim by himself to his heart's content. Greg of course had to find the highest rock and jump off of it, giving me a heart attack everytime (when did I become such a chicken, oh yeah when I had a child to think of)!



Axton and Brooklynn trying to warm up after swimming.


We decided to go see the dam after swimming. It was a bit of a walk but not too bad. Here are the requested prego photos, enjoy me in all my huge glory!





After naps we went to explore a creek that the kids could play in, however we got hit by a storm. I wish I remembered how to make our videos smaller because it was a pretty rad storm complete with hail! Needless to say the storm convinced Kim and them to go home because they had their 4 month old with them and were worried about their kids getting cold. So we stuck it out by ourselves Saturday night. It rained on and off the entire night. During one of the breaks from rain but not from thunder and lightning we went back to the lake and discovered that there were tons of small fires that had been started by the lightning. The pictures don't do it justice but it was awesome. There were tons of them, but luckily more rain followed so they were quickly put out.



Sunday we got up and decided to just go home, so by 7am we were out of there. While driving home though Greg saw a sign for a state park boasting about a natural bridge so we decided to take a small detour and go see it. When we got out of our car we saw these lovely boars putting a show on for us!


We soon discovered that you had to hike down to see the bridge. So us in our "hiking" gear, aka sandals and pjs, decided what the heck. It was a very steep climb but only about 1/2 mile to it. The trip down was fine, coming back up, well Axton sat a few times to watch me catch up! And because the one hike wasn't enough we decided to go do another one, even steeper but shorter. Luckily it wasn't really hiking, it was more like stairs, and short. I would love to go back and do the other hikes when I'm not 35 weeks along.









Despite the rain it was a great weekend. No cleaning, no boredom or wandering what to do, and just a nice change of pace. I definitely think camping is in our future every summer, I forgot how much I really do like it.