Baby Aders

Why does time always seem to go by so fast when you don't want it to? My little guy is already six weeks old and is starting to chub up big time. Despite the fact that he has acid reflux and spits up all the time he is still managing to gain weight. He is starting to smile more and I think it just might be more than just gas :) We enjoy him so much and thank our Heavenly Father everyday for finally sending him to us. We love you little man!

 

National Adoption Month

November is national adoption month and we are trying to help get the word out. My friend and her husband had been trying to add to their family for over 5 years and have been unsuccessful, 3 years ago they decided that adoption was the best route for them. They still have not been able to add to their family and we all hope that this will be their year. They are such sweet people and totally deserve a little spirit in their home. Please check our their blog and help spread the word for them and anyone you may know that is also trying to adopt. Adoption is such a wonderful thing and I have personally seen many miracles in my own family through the act of adoption. Struggling with infertility myself and having to consider adoption I know that this truly can be a miracle and I hope that those families out there that are praying for a way to have children will look into this amazing opportunity. I have siblings of my own that are adopted and I know that our family would not be complete without them. I commend all birth mothers out their who are able to place their children with other people who so desperately want children of their own but are unable to have them. We continue to pray for you Britt and Morgan and hope that this will be your year! You guys will be such great parents!

Aiden's Birth Story

We welcome baby Aiden John Shipp
Born September 29, 2010

7:13am 6lb 5oz 19in long

Just to warn you long post...

I guess it's time I finally post the details about Aiden's birth, mostly so I can remember it and to share it with him. Aiden was not due until October 7, 2010, but I had been going to my weekly check ups at the doctor and I was dilated to 2cm and 60% effaced 3 weeks before he was born. So we were trying to be prepared in case he decided to come early. But every week I went back and I was pretty much the same. One week before he was born I was a 2+ but still 60% so my doctor stripped my membranes and sent me home. That was a pretty miserable week, since I had developed a cold/allergies and could barley breath at night. So needless to say I wasn't getting much sleep and I was ready to be done with this pregnancy. But still nothing changed not even my contractions.

I went to the doctor's on September 28th and I was still measuring the same. So my doctor asked me when I wanted to have this baby? I told him anytime I was ready. So he scheduled me for an induction 2 days later on Thursday, but told me he might have to change depending on his plans. So I went to pick up Tyler who had spent the night at grandma's. I got a call on my cell phone from the doctor's office they wanted me to come in on Wednesday instead since that would work better for my doctor. But the hospital wouldn't schedule an induction unless you were within 7 days of your due date and I would have been 8 days. So the new plan was to go to his office the next morning and he was going to break my water and then send me down to the hospital. I was a little nervous about this but glad that I would be at the hospital and could get the epidural quicker.

I ended up leaving Tyler with grandma since we would be going in the next morning. And Kev and I had a nice quiet evening together, we went out to dinner and got frozen yogurt that was delicious. We went to bed about 11pm and our bags were packed, ready to meet this little guy the next day. I was actually sleeping really good that night, the first time I woke up was about 2:45am. I had to go to the bathroom (which is usually 4-5 times at night at this point) and my water broke. It wasn't quite as obvious as it was with Tyler so I waited a few minutes to make sure. The contractions hadn't hit hard yet either, but I finally decided to wake up Kev and head to the hospital. Of course he was disoriented but at least he wasn't sick this time and drugged up on NyQuil.

We got to the hospital around 3:30am, we checked in and they got us in a room. At this point I was barley 4cm and 70%, it took about 2 hours to get everything settled and the epidural going. I didn't feel as numb as I did with Ty, my legs were tingling but I could still move them. The nurse left about 5:30am and said she would be back in an hour to check me. It was quiet and I even started to dose off, my contractions were not consistent anywhere from 1-6min apart. She came back around 6:30am to check me and I was 8cm and fully effaced. I was a little shocked that it happened so quick. I thought for sure it would be awhile since my contractions were still all over the place. She said my doctor usually got to the hospital around 7am so she would come back then. The last half hour was painful even with the epidural the contractions were strong and were coming every 2minutes. My doctor came in and said good morning...see what happens when we threaten an induction, they decide to come. He also said she is ready I can see the baby's head. He stepped out for a minute and the nurse said to push on the next contraction...I started to push as she counted to 6 then she told me to stop. She called my doctor back in and said it's time. He came back and I pushed with the next contraction and he was out. He was born at 7:13am, weighed in at 6lbs 5oz, was 19in long and had lots of dark hair.

One week old

We were amazed at how fast and easy he came I was only in labor for 4 hours! He's beautiful and we love him to pieces. The hospital stay was a lot different from last time, Kevin got to stay with me and we had our baby with us pretty much the whole time. The only minor complication was that Aiden had low blood sugar so they were checking it before every feeding. His poor little heels were so sore. We did have to supplement with formula but it quickly resolved itself and he is doing fabulous.

We went to his 2 week check this past week and he was up to 6lbs 14oz. and his pediatrician said everything looked great. I have a lot of milk again and it comes out fast so the poor guy can barley make it 5 min on each side and usually has to pull off to breath because he is drowning. He's started to spit up more and becoming more fussy with feedings so we are watching him for signs of acid reflux, but we are hoping that we don't have to deal with that again. But if so I guess this time we know what to expect.

Two weeks old (I love the yawn)

Tyler loves him very much and wants to hold him all the time, we have to be careful because he has picked him up a couple of times and tries to take him places. He also like to squeeze him real tight, and he thinks that he sleeps too much. But luckily Aiden sleeps through all the noise for now. We love him so much and feel so blessed to finally add to our family.

as promised...the babies room

As promised...the babies room is almost complete so here are some photo's of the progress. I don't think the pictures do it justice...you have to see it in person. The only thing left is sanding down the rocking chair and painting that white as well. I am leaving that project up to Kevin so who knows when it will be ready. I also have a shelf that I'm going to paint lime green and hang above the changing table.

A close up of the crib skirt...I even made little pleats across the front. I am so excited with how it turned out.

I love the colors even though Kev thinks they are kind of girly. And I do have to say I am impressed with all the sewing, I'm not really that good at sewing and surprisingly I didn't run into any problems while doing all these projects. Not that I'm a pro or anything now, but I feel a little more confident in my sewing abilities.

Now all we do is wait...7 weeks to go unless he decides to come early like Tyler did, which would be ok. My last day of work is next week and after that I'm good to go.

32 Weeks...

I decided to be brave and take some maternity photos. Thanks to my friend Jen for taking the time to do them, and to edit them. I think they turned out great...despite the fact that it's me in the pics. It was a rare occasion that Ty wanted to be photographed and we got some cute ones with him in them too. I love when he is so sweet and cuddly, and that he loves his little brother so much already! I really can't believe how fast this pregnancy has went, I only have 8 weeks left. That just seems crazy! I really have enjoyed it and I am so grateful for the opportunity to bring another little life into this world.

I have been working like crazy on the babies room, so I will post pictures soon of the progress...I absolutely love how it had turned out.

I'm going to miss them

naps that is...

Some of you may remember a few months back when I posted about naps? Well Tyler has officially gave them up. Not from my lack of trying I still put him down and he just sits in there and calls out every 10min can I come out yet? So needless to say I gave up and we are going on 2 weeks with no naps. We are still in the transition phase and by 6pm I think we are both having melt downs, but hopefully he will get past it. My biggest concern is that he gets so bored throughout the day and now with no naps to break it up, the days seem especially long! We still are trying to have quiet time which usually consists of watching a disney movie, but hey you've got to do what you've got to do right?

I have come up with a plan that will hopefully get us through this summer and keep me from pulling my hair out. The only problem is it will be more time consuming for me, but that's why I'm a mom right. And I've come to the realization that some days I just need to play with him and have fun, rather than worry about housework and such. So sorry honey if the house is a mess today we decided to play instead.

Tyler and Atticus on their second round of popsicles

On a side note we have already busted out the popsicles and water balloons which are my favorite part of summer. And we start swim lessons next week, and Tyler can't wait. And with all the rain lately Tyler has had fun digging for worms. Here is one of his prized possessions. Why are boys so dirty? It's going to be a long fun filled summer and hopefully one we will both remember for a long time. After all it is my last summer with just him, I better make it count.

Could they have been more wrong?

The plan for memorial weekend was to work on the backyard we had topsoil delivered 2 weeks ago and have been waiting to get a tractor to level it out. After days of monitoring the forecast we finally decided if it's going to rain on saturday it's not worth it to get the tractor. Seriously do they ever get the weather forecast right?

first disappointment it didn't rain on saturday the weather was perfect not hot...not cold. So we decided to clean out the garage instead, which actually turned out to be good because it needed it really bad.

second disappointment it was even more beautiful on monday. So we decided to put epoxy on the garage floor since it was all cleaned out. It turned out great and now no more oil stain marks from Kev's car. I'm debating about whether or not to let him park in there again?!

On a side note we had 3 different BBQ's with friends all which turned out to be a lot of fun, and makes me even more excited for summer! I just hope we will have our backyard done before then.

The results are in

We found out a week ago that we are having another little BOY! It took some adjusting for me, because I have been thinking girl since day one. But over all we are just happy that everything looked good and that our baby seems healthy. After a little scare from some of my test results being high, the biggest concern for us was that something might not be right. So now I feel more at peace and hope that things will continue to go well. My Dr. will do a follow up ultrasound at 34 weeks just to be sure.

I just finally started to feel better as far as the nausea goes, but I am still exhausted. I hope that I will be able to have enough energy to enjoy this summer. I am now 21 weeks so less than half way to go. And now the projects begin. I have lots of sewing and painting to do, if anyone wants to join me.

One year down...

I can't believe we made it through a whole year of preschool. Some days it seem to last forever and then all of the sudden it was over. Although we struggled most days with dropping Tyler off once he was there he seemed to have a good time and always came home happy. I'm grateful for his teacher Miss Charity she is so cute with kids and always cheerful and fun to be around. I'm hoping he will like his teacher next year just as much. Although Miss Charity had her doubts about Tyler liking her. But what can I say he is one of a kind and you never know what mood he is going to be in. As for his program that he had been practicing for, for weeks and was singing all the songs at home, once it was time to perform he decided to be sad and shy. So he basically sat on the floor through the whole thing, and then cried because it was over. Sad but true and to that I say that's our Tyler!

Highlights throughout preschool...

His first day of preschool

Tyler and Miss Charity

The program (yes he has a scowl on his face)

Diploma, finally a little happier

[Other things he enjoyed]
Dr Seuss week
dressing up for halloween
field trip to the grocery store
pajama day

Easter

Easter was a blast for Tyler this year. He loves coloring eggs so we colored 2 dozen, definitely more than we needed but it was fun for him. He spent a lot of time and was trying to makes different colors so it looked like the earth. Surprisingly he slept in that morning but when he did wake up and found out that the bunnies [he thinks that their is more than one] had hid all of his eggs he was so excited. He ran around and found all of them, saving his basket for very last.


And here he is with his basket, he finally got Alvin and the Chipmunks. He has been waiting for it to come out forever. He also got a zhu zhu pet, which was a lot of fun. but his favorite thing was the peeps. Seriously 99cent peeps. Sometimes I wonder why we go through all the trouble.


We were lucky enough to go on a couple of egg hunts. We had one on easter with my side of the family, and then the ward did one the week after. Luckily the weather was good for both of them.

Easter Sunday 2010

so many things...

...and not enough time! Where do I even start?

Well I don't even know if I need to post about this because I'm pretty sure the whole world knows by now and if not you would if you saw me. But nonetheless we are very excited to be adding a little one to our family! It has been a long time coming and we couldn't be happier. It was a difficult journey for us, and took a lot longer than what we expected. We struggled getting little Tyler to our family, but we thought maybe the second time it would be a little easier. Well that was not the case, and we learned that things are definitely in the lords hands and we had to be patient for a lot longer than we were hoping. We still don't know all the reasons that we couldn't get pregnant on our own, which was partly so frustrating. So after almost 3 years of trying and going through all sorts of procedures, we decided to do IVF. It was intense and emotionally exhausting, but that could have been because we had been wanting this for so long. It was a huge trial of my faith and patience, as well as a very emotional road for me. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to do IVF and that it was successful for us. I can't say if I would do it again or not, I just know that I am grateful for the opportunity to bare another child and I want to cherish every moment of it. I never pictured myself having a small family but after going through this trial yet again, I don't know if we will have more children or not. For now I am enjoying the fact that we will have two and that's all I need for now!

As for Tyler he is beyond excited and loves to tell people our "secret". He was one of the first to know since he was home with me at the time I found out. As soon as I told him he threw his arms around me and said "thank you mom, thank you so much" ! It melted my heart how happy he was to have a little brother or sister. He asks almost daily if his baby is going to be here yet. And has also informed me that he is not going to play in his room until his baby comes. I can already see the big brother protective side coming out. It's so sweet how much he already loves this baby and I can't wait to see them together.

The stats...

I have been way more sick, more tired, and more hormonal with this pregnancy.

I know it doesn't help that I'm still in school and I have a four year old who has more energy than the world combined. But I'm hanging in there.

I am now 14 weeks along and starting to feel a little better

I am growing quickly and can barley fit into my normal pants

I am still exhausted and would rather sleep than do anything else

I am as happy as can be and am loving this experience

Due October 7th...26 weeks to go!

[ now you understand the lack of blogging...I hope]

Nap VS No Nap...

We have been struggling for some time with giving up the naps. For some reason I just can't seem to figure it out. My sweet little boy who is now 4 will still take naps 90% of the time. So why...would you give it up, some might say? If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to share because I am so in between right now. Which is worse nap or no nap?

Nap
he fights it everyday but...
he will still take them 5 out of 7 days a week if we are home
he gets so bored during the day he needs that down time
he's up until 10 or 11:00 at night (big sigh)
he's so much happier when daddy comes home
It's been a lot harder now that I have school in the afternoons
he usually won't take a nap at someone else's house

No Nap
will go to bed right at 8pm and sleep until 8am
gets super hyper and crazy by 6:00pm
the melts downs start and the count down until bedtime begins
he starts falling asleep around 6-7:00pm
he gets frustrated when playing
I'm so exhausted just watching him that I'm ready for bed at 8pm
wants to watch TV all day because he's bored

Oh...why can't I still have both? Naps and and early bedtime, heaven knows I would love that for myself right now. Kids just don't realize how lucky they are. I love that my little guy is growing up and is much more independent. That he can make his own decisions, and that he tries to be a good boy. I just don't get how he has so much stinkin' energy! He will go, go, go all day long and never show any signs of tiring out. I wish I could find that kind of energy. I guess this is just another realization that he's not so little anymore and I have to let him grow up. The question is if we give up naps, what do we do all day, because he is so bored? This is a kid who always wants to be on the go and doesn't like to stay home and play with his own toys. Crazy I know but it is a struggle everyday to get him to play. Sometime he will just sit in his room and stare at things rather than play. I think it's a stubborn thing which we all know he inherited a lot of...from his dad!

My Valentine

I can't believe it's already February I don't even know where January went. Well I do love this month and I'm grateful to be spending it with my sweetheart. We decided not to do anything too big this year, in fact I don't even think we are going out to dinner. A. because we haven't gotten a babysitter and let's face it who would we ask anyway? and B. because I think it will be fun to stay home and cook for my hubby. So that's what I'm going to do. I already know what I'm making for the main course, but if anyone has any easy and fun ideas for a dessert please let me know. Kev is not to picky he pretty much eats anything that is considered a sweet! I hope it ends up being fun and I hope you all enjoy spending time with your Valentine. Don't forget to tell them how much you love them!