Tidepools!!!

Nora is quite the adventurer these days.  She has been to the beach more times than I can count in her short month on the earth which is just as it should be.  My sister Annie has been in town with her cute family so we all met at the tidepools last weekend.  Ami had fun running from the waves with Gage and discovering a cave.  Amelie also got nailed by a wave which explains the no clothes situation.  That's how she prefers it anyways.  Andin and Ollie were the ultimate explorers off on their own.  You gotta love newborns who mostly sleep while being carted around.  Thank heavens for the ergo carrier (thanks Andrea:) because it lets me do whatever I need to like beaching it, cleaning the house, cooking, gardening, and blowdrying my hair.

 

Here are a few things we've learned about Nora in her first month...

She does not like the carseat.  At all.  I think the moving car and all the bumps make her feel really nervous and insecure.  Whatever happened to newborns just sleeping in the car?  Hopefully this one will pass because as a third child, the car is sort of inevitable.  And I don't like being trapped at home:)

She also does not like the baby swing.  I'm keeping it around in case she changes her mind but so far no dice in that department.  

She started out as the ultimate mama's girl but is gradually letting others hold her and be content.

She has a fussy time from about 7-10 every night

She has had a bit of thrush which we have realized was causing her fussiness.  She is much happier now that it seems to be getting better.

She is starting to smile in response to our voices as well as make little coo'ing sounds here and there

She likes to sleep on her tummy

She took her 1st bottle of pumped milk like a champ.  Here's to hoping for a date night in the near future!

She takes a binky better than Oliver or Ami but still doesn't love it

She has been sleeping in 2, 3, and 4 hour spurts, but slept 6 hours straight the other night!  She mostly sleeps in our bed which is her favorite place to sleep so far.   

She has spit up just a few times and hardly ever poops.  What a classy lady:)

Sometimes I'm sure her eyes will be brown but they have been looking very blue lately.  Her hair is also lightening up quite a bit and falling out (just like her siblings). 

Basically, she is pure heaven and we love her

 

In other news, school is out in a week!  Summertime is highly anticipated in our household.  Ollie is excited to take a break from school and sign up for Art and Karate at the YMCA.  Amelie is registered for Ballet for the summer and can't wait to shop for her outfit.  Ryan is excited it's going to start staying light out long enough to surf after work and I can't wait to have no schedule whatsoever.  Oliver has been a great big brother loving on Nora and being Amelie's constant play companion.  Amelie is really starting to warm up to Nora and even gave her a "go team" high five the other day.  Since Nora screams non-stop in the car, the kids have had a hard time with it, especially Ami.  The other day she said, "Mom I'm growing up!  I'm not complaining about Nora crying!"  We kept telling her that baby's cry sometimes and there's nothing we can do about it but try and be grownup and not complain.  Well she figured it out!  It still drives us all crazy but at least its more manageable without the whole car in tears:)     

Nora's 1st week

 Nora gets her 1st bath

 Grandma knew all the special tricks to making bath time fun

 Nora's skin apparently did not like bath time very much.  Splotchy and red:(  She didn't seem to mind

 She loves this musical seahorse and it can calm her down when she is crying.  To think of it, it makes us all a little sleepy.

One of the few times she has used her swing without crying.  Not a fan of the swing but still pretty cute

Cousins Quincy and Dane come to visit!

Sweetest girl around

Mothers Day

We got to celebrate Mother's Day shortly after our little Nora's arrival.  What better time to celebrate mothers than with a brand new baby straight from heaven!  I could never express how grateful I am to be a mother of these sweet children of mine.  I am so grateful for my mother who is a constant source of love and support.  I admire her testimony and her ability to love others.  Happy Mother's Day to all the sweet mama's out there!

Nora Marie May 6th

She's here!!!  We are so excited to announce the arrival of our little Nora Marie, born May 6th at 8:00pm weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces, 19.5 inches long.  I realized that we didn't take a lot of pictures with my camera so what I have here is limited, but my cousin Andrea was there for the birth and took pictures and my Dad got tons after the birth, so I'll have to collect some good ones to post later.  We are in heaven with our new little girl and could not love her more.  She is as perfect as they come.  Since birth is sort of my thing, here is little Nora's birth story...

It all started when my water broke Monday morning around 4:45, right around the time Ryan's alarm was going off for work.  I hadn't been sleeping well that night so I was already awake when I felt a little gush of water, so I got up to get a towel and laid back down as Ryan woke to his alarm and I let him know that he probably wouldn't make it to work today.  I decided to jump in the shower and get ready then climbed back in bed to hopefully sleep a little more before the kids got up and my contractions started.  About an hour after my water broke, I started getting contractions here and there.  They were spacy enough that I could still sleep which was nice.  Ollie woke up first and came in and said, Dad, what are you doing here!  So we both told him that today was the day Nora was coming and seriously I wish we had a picture of the look on his face.  It was like shock and pure joy and excitement all rolled into one.  Shortly after Ami came in and Oliver told her and we all jumped around and snuggled in bed.  Ollie decided he wanted to stay home and be apart of the excitement so we started the day with breakfast and cartoons. Nothing much had changed with my pattern, still 6-8 minutes apart. 

It was a rainy day so we decided to go to Starbucks and grab some hot cocoa and treats and then head to the park so the kids could play while I walked laps around the park to see if that would help things pick up.  I decided to call Dr. James and make sure he felt ok about me giving myself the afternoon to let labor kick in.  Since I was gbs positive, I wanted to be a little more careful with my water being broken.  He said it was totally reasonable to wait 12 hours and at that point I might want to head to the hospital to get my round of antibiotics (treatment for gbs).  My Dad met us at home after the park to get the kids and I decided while things were relatively quiet on the labor front, that I really should get my nails done before I can't for a few weeks.  It would be a nice distraction from my contractions:)  So the kids went off to play with my Dad and Ryan drove me to the nail salon.  The ladies at the salon were like, wow, when are you due?  And I responded with, probably today!  I didn't tell them my water was broken, they would have freaked out, but they did notice my slow walk and contractions I was breathing through.  So funny. 

After nails, we were off to the hospital.  It was about 3:30 at this point and I was feeling discouraged because my labor hadn't really kicked in.  I was really bummed thinking I'd have to get pitocin at the hospital to help things progress.  Ryan and I said a few prayers on the way that my body would kick into gear and I wouldn't need anything to help me birth this baby.  We got to the hospital (Saddleback Memorial) and the nurses checked me in, made sure my water broke and started my IV and antibiotic.  Honestly those prayers were heard for my labor to start because right as we checked in, my body really started getting serious about this labor.  My contractions got harder and faster and I was so grateful (or reminding myself to be grateful) as I felt the sensations of labor take over.  Ryan and I walked laps around the floor and around 6:00 I was really feeling the intensity.  Dr. James came in to check on me and he said he's be back in an hour to check me.  I hadn't been checked yet because my water was broken and we didn't want to increase the chance for infection.  So an hour later he was back and after a few very tearful contractions that made me sure I was almost there, I expected to hear I was at 9 cm.  In true unpredictable labor fashion, he said I was at a 6.  I reminded myself that I can dilate 4 cm's in an hour and just push through it.  My mom had just shown up at this point and my cousin Andrea who was going to take pictures.  The next hour was kind of unreal.  My contractions were very intense, the most intense I've felt in all three labors, and I caught myself wanting an out.  I asked Andrea if she wanted to tag team me for this labor:)  It was really really hard.  Ryan was there, reassuring me that I could do it, that I was almost there.  Gosh do I love that man.  I could never ever do it without him.  In 45 minutes I dilated to a 10, a little intense, and really started to feel pushing urges.  The nurse wanted to keep checking me and asking me not to push and I kindly, or maybe not so kindly, told her that I was ready to push and that she better get Dr. James in the room.  I was on my hands and knees at this point in labor because it's what felt best to me.  When Dr. James came in he said let's do this, and I asked if I could stay in that position to push and he said why not.  (Have I mentioned I love that man?).  So I started bearing down, which felt a million times better than dilating (opposite experience than Amelie), and honestly it felt pretty good to be in control.  I felt my baby girl moving down and then back up as I would push and then take a break.  I remember saying out loud, "she just went back in!"  It's so hard to know how far you are from meeting your little one at this point.  Dr. James said that I was in charge and that if I wanted to I could meet her very soon, with the next contraction.  So at some point I just said to myself, I am in charge and I can push with all my might to get her out.  I remember her head coming out and yelling for someone to get her out (classic) and then having to push harder than I thought I would to get those little shoulders out.  But within no time at all I felt her slide right out and Dr. James put her right under me, propped up on a pillow.  Her cord was a little short so I couldn't really move much and just sort of hovered over her while she opened her eyes and looked around at everyone.  She didn't cry at all and was just so peaceful.  No one rushed on her to suction her or put blankets on her.  She was just sitting there taking this new world in.  It was honestly magical.  When her cord was done pulsating, it was cut and I turned over onto my back and held that little body close to mine.  Ryan and I just sat in awe at what just happened and what little person our love created.  I got to hold that little baby uninterrupted for almost 3 hours before the nurse came in and asked me if it was ok to bathe her and weigh her.  Heaven.  Nora Marie was born at 8:00pm weighing in at 7 pounds 14 ounces, 19.5 inches long.  Nora, you are so loved and we are so lucky to have you in our family.            

Grandma and Grandpa's pool

We spend a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa's pool.  It's endless fun.  Oliver is a master swimmer and Amelie is starting to get really comfortable in the water.  We'll have her swimming like a pro in the next few months.  Ollie is especially good and coming up with specialty dives and jumps and names them all super cool names. 

Afternoon at the beach

I finally got a working camera again so here's to being back in the blogging saddle!  Now that Nora is here I need to do better documenting our little lives so she can look back like the other kids and see how awesome our team is:)  So this was May 1st, 5 days before Nora's arrival so we are back tracking a bit.  The kids and I decided we needed a quick afternoon trip to the beach.  By this time I was soaking in the beach and sun as much as physically possible before little miss got here.  Here we are at Aliso Creek beach.  I love this beach.  I grew up coming to this beach and have some of the best childhood memories here.  I love that my kids get to grow up on this beach too.  This was a fun afternoon soaking in life as a family of four for a little longer.  Boy do I love these people.  

Ollie is 6!!!

I really don't think I could love this boy any more than I do.  He has the sweetest heart and constantly reminds me of the good in the world. He is positive and excited about life.  He is the best person to surprise and always has a grateful heart.  We went to Target yesterday so he could spend some birthday money and he picked out a Pokemon plush toy and still had money left so he gave his extra money to Ami because he felt bad she didn't get a new toy too.  His one wish this year was a party at Chuck E Cheese with "all his cousins".  Chelsea just got married so I think he thought everyone would still be around but we gathered some good friends and family, some tokens, pizza, and cupcakes and had a grand old time.  He loves to be loved and we are all glad to do it. 

Since the move, Oliver started a new kindergarten which has been really wonderful.  He has been blessed with a sweet, experienced teacher and he comes running to me at pickup every day with a big smile on his face, asking what we're doing next.  We went to the park yesterday and he wanted to play with a group of boys.  He wanted me to go ask them if he could play but I wanted him to stand on his own and go make friends.  Sometimes I don't know how far to push him.  He just looks for acceptance so much and I want him to remember that those boys are lucky that they get to play with him and that he doesn't need permission to play and have fun.  I'll say, just jump in there Ollie, they will love you!  If they don't give him a formal invite he gets his feelings hurt which usually ends in tears.  It can be a tough one.  I always said I just wanted to give my kids confidence.  So I am trying to remind him that he is the coolest boy around and anyone is lucky to know him. 

One of my favorite things about Ollie is how much he cares about people.  Ryan and I always ask him, who's your favorite friend at school?  And he will always say, mom I don't have a favorite friend because I love everyone just the same.  When we moved back, I wanted to hear what the kids thought about being back so I would ask, do you like living in Hawaii or California more?  Always, Oliver would say, I love both mom, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  I'm so lucky to be able to raise such a caring person and he reminds me to be that way when I forget.  I also feel lucky that he is our oldest and will always take care of his sisters.  Watching him grow and learn has been so much fun.  I love that boy with all my heart.  Happy 6th bday my sweet Ollie boy.   

A Hui Hou!

 

 

It all boils down to the fact that ultimately I have to do what I know Heavenly Father wants me to do; even if I dont necessarily want to do it. I dont want to sound ungrateful for the once in a lifetime opportunity I've been given to work for DreamWorks as part of their Facilities and Construction Management Team; I'm very grateful. I'm also sooooo very excited to be closer to family and friends that we left on the mainland that we love dearly and cant wait to see again. But (just like I tell Becky) there's something about this island that is indescribable. Ever since the very first time I set foot here, I felt I found a piece of my soul that had been waiting for me. When I left, it refused to leave the island. It wont leave the island. That's why this is literally breaking my heart. I hate leaving this place.

I couldn't have begun to imagine the wonderful Kailua family we would be arriving to about a year ago. So many families to name: the Underwoods, Johnsons, Collins, Sawadas, Halls, Wongs, Baldomeros, Thorntons, Lynchs, Coopers, Hallstroms, Kavas, Misis, Hikidas, Gossers, Kuniokas, and soooo many more. It honestly felt like coming home. I'm going to miss our Kailua family soooo much. Everyone is so genuine, so loving and unassuming. There's something so unique in the feeling of people in Hawaii. There's no status. There's no criticism. There's no gossip. People live and spread Aloha to everyone. I love our Kailua family. Words cant describe how much it hurts to leave them. I love our people here. I love the culture. I love how people are greeted with a hug and a kiss. I love how people wave each other into traffic and are thanked with a 'shaka' out the window. I love how people are genuinely concerned for others and are always ready and willing to help. I know we can find all of these qualities in people anywhere in the world; but there's something unique here. It is just the common and unspoken way in which just about everyone you meet lives their life. You can feel it.

I love the weather. I hate seasons. This is my favorite season and I get to live it 365 days a year. Surfing goes without saying. The fact that my kids live in the ocean here will be sorely missed. Becky asking to go surfing on the weekends will be sorely missed. The almost daily rain. The green cliffs on the windward side. Matsumotos, Kailua Keiki Surf Competition, Summer Town Surf Sessions, Ted's Bakery, Rocky Rights, Vland, KBay, Da Bus, Na Pono Field Trips, Crystal Clear Water, BYUH, Castles, Camping, Town, Makapu'u, Sandys, The Pali, Kalamas, Kainalu Elementary, Jungle Park, The Jungle in general, Keolu Loop, Driving on Kam highway. Hiking pillbox, Nu'uanu valley, Makapu'u lighthouse and more. Chickens on the side of the road. The flour-like sand at Lanikai. The granual-like sand of the north shore. Did I mentioned surfing :). All this, plus a million things more I will miss on a daily basis. But mostly I'll miss our people.

I will miss my kids at church. Teaching Sunday School and Seminary for the juniors and seniors has been one of the best things ever. I love those kids. I pray for them multiple times a day. I honestly consider them my younger brothers and sisters. I want them to have every joy in life possible. I love that I get to talk to them about whats most important in life. I love talking to them about mission and getting them ready to go on their own. I love talking about the Gospel. Next to my family there is nothing I like to talk about more than the Gospel because it's what makes literally everything beautiful in life. I will miss them dearly. You guys better keep me informed on what you're doing. I want in on the family newsletters/missionary letters for sure.

That's what hurts about leaving. All these people that I love like family, that I might not necessarily see every Christmas. Its like we're family, without being direct family. It really hurts to leave them. Thank goodness H.F. has a perfect plan that allows me to be with the people I love forever. Thank goodness distance and even death itself is only a temporary delayer of me being able to spend all of time with the people who are important to me. I love that fact. It keeps me going everyday because I know it is true.

I'll end this letter where I began: I have to do what H.F. wants. He's never let me down. Even though its hard, I know that doing what He wants is ALWAYS the right decision. We will miss our Hawaiian family and will come back to visit as often as possible. And for our other family on the mainland: we can't wait to see you! As bad as it hurts to leave Hawaii, we're equally excited to be with our mainland family and friends again. God bless the expanding families we've created wherever we go. We love you. A hui hou ohana.

Nora

I am being struck with major guilt as I finally write about this 3rd pregnancy!  My other pregnancies were so well documented, sad.  It doesn't help that our camera has been broken for months and apparently no one in Hawaii can fix it.  I have been taking belly shots here and there on instagram, which I need to figure out how to load to my blog.  Ahhhh facebook and insta, the ruin of blogs.  I am making a goal that even if I don't have pictures to post, words are much more important.  This blog is sort of all I've got since I'm not much of a journal writer.  So onto my sweet baby Norah...

Ryan and I had been playing with the idea of getting pregnant again but I have to say it was a long process.  I was loving my nice long break from babies, and really savoring Oliver and Amelie at their ages when they are so independent and fun to watch.  I was thinking, do I really want to mix things up with another little one?  How could I possibly love another as much as I love these two.  I can't say there was this lightbulb moment when we decided the time is right, lets do it!  It just sort of happened and when I took that pregnancy test and saw a faint positive line, a huge smile spread across my face.  I went to show Ryan (we were vegging out in bed watching Grey's Anatomy) and he was like, "what does that mean, the line is faint.  Does that really mean your pregnant?"  I was like yeah babe, even a faint line means pregnant!  What do you think!  It was that fun but crazy moment when you realize another life is growing right before you're very eyes but it doesn't seem real yet.

I'd always thought that if we had a third it would be a boy.  Right when I found out I was pregnant I told Ryan, this is a baby girl.  I just know it.  And her name is Nora.  I have never had an easy time finding names for my kids and actually calling them by their name, especially before they are born feels so weird.  This little girl just came with a name and spirit from the start.

My feelings of excitement started fading a little once the morning sickness hit.  I always feel so bad about that but it's so hard to be excited for a chubby little baby when you're just thinking about getting from one day to the next.  And when there are no other signs of the pregnancy than being sick, you feel like you've caught this really bad bug and sort of forget about the baby part.  This was the sickest I have been so far and I wasn't expecting that since Amelie was even easier than Oliver's pregnancy.  Maybe I'm getting old:)  At 15 weeks I started feeling her move and one night Ryan felt her move and it just makes it all real.  She seems to be a pretty laid back baby.  She moves a lot in the evening a few hours before bed and that's pretty much the only time I really notice her acrobatics.  Maybe that means she will be an amazing sleeper?  Yes please.  I'm still having sick incidents here and there but now that I'm more than halfway there, I feel so much better.  Now is the time to start getting really excited to meet this little girl. 

We told my family she was a girl on Christmas Eve and I made a cake and dyed it pink.  When I cut the cake and held it up and everyone found out it was a fun moment because I had led everyone to believe she was a boy:)  Amelie was thrilled, of course, for a baby sister but poor Ollie wanted a brother so bad.  He just kept saying, please say boy, please say boy.  When he found out he just put his head in his hands and cried.  I tried to tell him how awesome two sisters would be and that since he is such a good big brother, Heavenly Father decided to send two girls for him to watch over.  He was fine but I was a little sad for him.  That night at bed, I said, Ollie are you going to love the baby even if she's a girl?  He said yes mom!  And then leaned over and said "Merry Christmas baby Norah, I love you".  That boy melts my heart.  He had never since complained about his baby sister.  I wish I had that boys positive outlook on life.  He is such a light. 

Amelie keeps saying, mom, I'm a big sister.  Just matter of fact.  I was inititally a little worried about how she'd handle a new baby but honestly I think she's going to love it.  It will be so fun to see some sister love.  I know all about sister love.  Ryan can't wait for another baby girl.  Although it has recently occured to him that he will now have to give two daughters away and he's just not sure he can handle that.  I reminded him that you never really give your daughters away, they always stay close.  We are so excited to meet little Nora in May and can't wait to kiss her chubby cheeks as I'm sure they will be.  Our babies always come out rolly polly, just the way it should be.  We love you already baby Nora.  I have a feeling you're going to fit right in with our team.        

Family Pictures 2012

Well my beautiful sister in law Jill Facer took these family photos of us while they were visiting.  These are our first official pictures as a family, other than random shots here and there of course.  I was so happy to get some pictures of our little family as it stands before we mix things up (and I get fat pregnancy face).  I have gotten very attached to the four of us hanging out these past 3 years.  "GO TEAM!" is a familiar saying around our house.  It's basically our way of saying, our family is the best and we love each other.  So happy Jill captured these precious moments of such a special stage in our lives.  And now I can send out a legit Christmas card!  Love you Jill, thanks for jumping a fence with me on private property while Ryan freaked out.  If you are in Orange County, here is Jill's website http://www.jillfacerphotography.com/  You should really look her up:)