Thanksgiving

We stayed out here in Arkansas for Thanksgiving this year.  We were fortunate to be able to spend it with some friends.  It was a wonderful day!

The meal was DELICIOUS!  I don't remember a Thanksgiving where I wanted more of every.single.dish.  But this year, I couldn't even pick a favorite.  The food was phenomenal.

After dinner the kids all made an apple turkey (they made feathers with toothpicks and various candy).  Calder was quite proud of his.

 We walked down the street to the park before feasting on some pie.  It was a beautiful day.

Had to document Craig's mustache he grew in November.  I was thrilled when he decided to shave.

I am so thankful for my sweet little family!

Fall 2013

Yep. I'm a whole season behind.  Here goes!

Fall here in Arkansas was BEAUTIFUL!!  And it lasted sooo long! We tried to take advantage of the beautiful weather as much as we could.  In a nutshell:

Craig and Calder got to go see a Razorbacks football game. SEC Football - it is HUGE here.

The stadium is SO big - I think it holds 72,000 people.

 We went to a "Farmland Adventure."  The original idea was for a pumpkin patch, but this place had so many fun things to do!  The actual pumpkin patch was really lame, (the pickings were slim) and we ended up buying pumpkins at Walmart afterwards.  But we had a blast at every other activity they had there.

One of Calder's favorites - they had a pit filled with corn kernals, kind of like a sand box.  It was tough getting him out of there!

Calder's first experience on a pony!  He wasn't quite sure at first, but he got the hang of it.

They had tons of animals in a little petting zoo.  The goats were definitely Calder's favorite!

They even had a camel there - random, I know - but I love this picture!  Our friends the Abrams, came with us.

We even got to go through a corn maze! 

 Calder and I decorated Halloween cookies.  He was very meticulous about where he put the candy corn.

I made these clipboard frames!  They hang in our kitchen/dining area, and I love that I can display Calder's art projects in a more organized way.  Plus, I can change them out with each season/holiday!

 We went on tons of walks.  This particular area is just outside of Crystal Bridges, the art museum here.  So beautiful!  We came to this area several times this fall.

They have tons of different trails you can walk on.  All of them are so beautiful!

They had an activity on the lawn outside of the museum - we got to add to the giant spider web!

 Halloween!  Isn't this the cutest dalmation puppy and orange dinosaur you've ever seen? Calder told me he wanted to be a dinosaur this year.  I asked him what color, and he specifically said "orange."  I had fun making their costumes.

Calder wears his dinosaur costume still at least a few times a week.  It's cute he loves it so much!

He LOVED trick-or-treating.

We had a few Halloween parties.  One at Craig's work, a ward fall festival, and another party with friends, and then the normal trick-or-treating to top it off.  I think that is the most Halloween parties I have ever gone to.  We were celebrating here for almost a week straight.  It was a little ridiculous! :)

Craig and I were Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

I mean Superman and Lois Lane? Wait a second...

 We carved pumpkins, too!

We definitely had a fun-filled fall!  

Blessing and a Temple Trip

We blessed Adelaide on Sunday, Oct. 13th.  Our families weren't able to come out, which is a definite downside of living out of state : ( but we had the support of several great friends to stand in the circle with Craig.  Adelaide wore the blessing dress that I wore, which was kind of fun to see her in it!

Both family pictures are a little awkward. :) I guess that's how it goes when you have 2 kids - how do you get both of them looking decent in one picture? :)

It was a beautiful blessing.  I was reminded of how precious she is -that she is a daughter of God!  We are so grateful for this sweet little girl!

 This last Friday (before our Stake Conference) was a Stake "Fill the Temple" day.  We felt like it was important for us to make an effort to go. So we did!  Our Stake is in the Oklahoma City Temple district.  It is 3 1/2 hours away.  So not way far, but far enough that it definitely takes some planning to be able to go.  

Craig took the day off of work, and we left at 5:30 in the morning, so that we could make it in time for the 10:00 session. (Turns out it was a 10:30 session, so we were a little early.  But that's not a bad thing!) On our way, we ran into some toll roads...which we were not expecting.  And we didn't have any cash.  And they don't take cards.  So there we were, counting out $2.50 all in pennies!  Luckily, we did have quite the stash of pennies in our truck.  After we got to $1.50, the toll worker was so annoyed and told us that she would just pull $1.00 out of her pocket.  We were grateful!  But seriously - we had no idea there would be toll roads in Oklahoma!  I thought that was only a back east thing...apparently I was mistaken.  So we made sure we had cash the rest of the trip.  And then we came to some that had no toll workers, just a big barrel that you throw your money into.  Toll: $0.60 - exact change required.  And these ones didn't accept pennies.  What?!  Who has exactly $0.60 just lying around? Luckily, we happened to find a $1 coin, so that worked.

We finally made it to the temple!  There was a church that shares the parking lot with the temple, and it was open and available for people to wait there with kids, which was very convenient.  

I went to the temple first while Craig watched our kids, and then we switched.  It was a wonderful experience!  It always is - I really enjoy going to the temple, but it had been a while since we've been able to go, so this visit was exceptional. I love the feelings of love and peace I get when I go, and that they stay with me for a while after.

 

Our stake definitely filled the temple!  The sessions were all overflowing, all day!  It was exciting to see so many people there.

We decided to drive home that night.  We left at 6:00, and what usually is a 3 1/2 hour drive ended up being close to a 6 hour drive!  We were stuck in traffic for 2 hours! It was crazy.  But our kids did awesome. I was so impressed!

Next time we go, we will be much more prepared for the logistics!

My 2 1/2 year old boy

Calder is over 2 1/2! He has grown up sooo much in the past couple months.  Some things about my little man:

• He is  such a good kid.  He really tries so hard to make good choices (at least most of the time. :)) 
• He LOVES to talk about missions, missionaries, etc.  At night when we are putting him to bed, he always requests stories from Craig's or either of his grandpa's missions.  He always tells us that he is going to go on a mission one day. 
• He talks frequently about the Temple as well, and how he is going there someday, and will get married there, just like Mommy and Daddy.  It melts my heart! I hope he keeps his mission and temple goals his whole life.
• He sings all the time. He doesn't always like when we sing with him - he'd rather do it all by himself.  Right now his favorite songs to sing are "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and the "ABC's."  He has sung almost all of the words to "I love to see the Temple" and the family song "I have a family here on earth..."  Usually he just breaks out in song, without prompting from us, and sings out loud for a vast majority of the day.
• He loves getting together with other kids to play.  Once a week he goes to preschool, and he LOVES it! (really just a playgroup where we switch off whose house it is at, and we throw in a little educational activity about a letter of the alphabet)

One week when preschool was at our house, we talked about the letter "B" and played with balloons.  This was Calder's favorite activity.

• He loves music.  He will play the piano, drums, recorder, guitar, anything that's available.  If no music is playing, it is not uncommon for him to open up the laptop and try to get some started, often with success.
• He likes to do things all by himself, and loves to try new things.

This is the first time using his own pair of scissors.  He sat there forever just practicing! He was so thrilled!

• Curious George is his favorite show to watch right now, although he would never turn down the chance to watch any kind of TV.  He often refers to George, and references how he does things, as if he were one of his best friends.
• He has progressed so much in his speaking!  He speaks in compete sentences, often paragraphs, and picks up several phrases that he will repeat.   A few of his favorites that he says often are: "What a nice day outside, isn't it." and " How was work, Daddy?" and "How were classes, Mommy?" (spoken to me after church) and "Do you want to..." and "what the?!" (often followed by some statement about what is going on)  We were getting ice cream the other day, and as we were leaving a couple sitting nearby waved bye to Calder.  He stopped, waved, said "hi," and then finished off with "have a nice day!" It was adorable.
• He LOVES sports.  Of any variety.  And he is really quite athletic.

A neighbor gave us some clothes for Adelaide.  Calder was going through the bag, saw this jersey, and automatically assumed it was his.  He immediately wanted to put it on, and wore it the remainder of the day.

• Right now he doesn't always take a nap.  I am hoping we can at least keep up the every other day (or more!) pattern for quite a while.
• He loves to hide.  Under blankets, couch cushions, you name it.  He thinks it is so funny.

Where's Calder?

• His favorite snack right now is graham crackers with peanut butter and chocolate chips, and when he requests them he says the whole phrase.
• Calder came into our room in the middle of the night recently and in his sleepy, teary voice said, "I just need to find my pillow." So I went to his room with him, his blankets were all in a bundle at the bottom of his bed, and his pillow was just where it should be - at the top.  I helped him lay back down on his pillow, fixed his blankets, and he was fine.  Cute kid.
• He loves to go outside, and play at the park, fly a kite, throw/kick a ball, blow bubbles, draw with sidewalk chalk, ride his bike, etc.

Recently he's been a bit nervous about crossing the wobbly bridges at parks.  But on this particular day, he just practiced slowly, over and over, and in no time was going across confidently.  I was so proud of him!

• He can be so helpful! He throws diapers away, picks put new clothes for Adelaide when I need them, loves to help cook and clean, etc.
• He is such a good big brother.  He LOVES his little sister.

I love hanging out with my little buddy!  I just can't believe how much he is growing up!  Calder, I am so grateful I get to be your Mommy, and that I get to be forever!

From one to two

Look at this beautiful girl!

8 days old

Calder loves to try on her headbands.  At least one of my kids likes them, right? :)

I can't believe our little Adelaide is already over 3 weeks old! The transition from one to two has gone fairly smoothly.  Adelaide came bearing gifts for Calder - he got a little golf set  - and that went over really well with him.  He loves it! And will play with his golf set every day.  Score!

He is quite the little golfer, despite being a lefty using right-handed clubs.

My mom came out and spent a week with us right after Adelaide was born.  It was so nice having her here!

Making cookies with Grandma

It was so nice to see her!

The week after my mom left, Craig and I were both sick. We were like two zombies trying to figure out how to take care of two kids.  It was a little crazy!  But last week, we were both feeling much better, and it was a much, much better week.  I feel like I am getting the hang of things.

Calder is doing pretty well with Adelaide.  I was worried when my Mom left that he would not do well without the extra attention, but he has done great.  He even asked me once when another baby was going to come to our house.  I'm not sure if it was because he wanted another one, or was just preparing himself for the possibility.  But either way little man, we aren't bring another baby home for a long, long, time. :)

Two kids!  Crazy! :)

 I will overhear Calder telling Adelaide stories about things he does, like how cool it was when he jumped on the tramp and did a somersault, etc.

When we drive somewhere (like the store) and we arrive, Calder will always say "Are you ready to go, baby Adeda?" (He can say Adelaide, but he usually just says Adeda.)

He is the cutest older brother.  It has been so fun seeing him with her these last few weeks.

 In an effort to save our furniture (couch, beds, etc.) we decided to pull the trigger and get a trampoline for Calder.  It has been the best thing ever! That has helped me with the transition to managing 2 kids, because he probably spends close to an hour outside jumping every day! (not all at once, but still it helps!)

He is getting very creative with the games he plays on his tramp.

Today I walked into the living room, and Calder was very quick to explain that he was just giving Adelaide a few dinosaurs to play with.  I love it. :)

Her Story

I found out a few things at the end of my pregnancy that could potentially be complications during delivery.  I tested positive for Group B Strep, which meant I needed to have antibiotics given to me during labor so that the baby would be protected from a potential infection.  I also found out my blood platelet count was low.  Not low enough that they were concerned about anything, but my doctor did say if they dropped below 100, they wouldn't be able to give an epidural for fear that my blood wouldn't clot.

My due date was Aug. 7th, and basing everything I knew about labor from Calder's  birth, I expected her to come fairly early.  Calder came 8 days early, so I was thinking it would be similar for Adelaide.  But, no. 8 days early came and went, 5 days early came and went. We were all feeling so anxious!  I was having several contractions a day (Braxton Hicks) that didn't hurt, but were getting me nowhere.  My mom was scheduled to fly in on the 7th, and I was beginning to worry that this little girl wouldn't be here when my mom arrived!  There were several nights when contractions woke me up, and so I would time them, and wait to see if they increased in intensity, but they would just stop.  Bummer.  It was always so disappointing!  But I knew the timing was in the Lord's hands, and she would come when she was ready.

Sure enough. Aug. 6th, I woke up at about 2:10 in the morning with contractions.  There wasn't really a need to time these ones or wait for them to intensify, because they were coming super frequently and were intense already!  But I did wait a little, just to be sure it wasn't a false alarm.  2:30 we started getting everything together, grabbed Calder, and were on the road by 3:00 AM.   We had talked Calder through the whole process, but I was still nervous how he would do when we woke him up and dropped him off at a friends house.  He actually did really well, which was such a relief!

On the drive over to the hospital, the contractions were coming every 2 to 3 minutes.  I was telling Craig that I was definitely ready for that epidural when we got to the hospital! We arrived at the hospital and were checked in around 3:20 AM.

They took my blood to check platelet levels, and checked me. I was already dilated to a 7 1/2!  They got the IV in to start the antibiotics for the Group B Strep.  Craig asked what the timeline was for the epidural, and the nurses glanced at each other and said "well, we've got the order in..."  At that point, I knew I was probably not going to get one. My labor was progressing too quickly.  But I kept hoping.

I heard them say my platelet levels were 97. They had dropped.  At that point, I was terrified because I knew the epidural wasn't an option.  Having a baby natural was not on my bucket list.

I was just praying my little heart out. The nurse was really good at helping me to breathe through the contractions.

The doctor came in really quickly, and I was surprised when she put on her gloves and asked if I was ready to push.  I didn't feel the urge yet, so I said no. And then the urge came!  I was ready to push!

I pushed once, not really knowing how ready or close she was.  But then a chorus of "There she is!" and "She's coming" rang out and I was so surprised! I had no idea that she was that close, but I was ready to do what it took to get her out! One contraction, and 2 or 3 more pushes and our sweet little Adelaide was born at 4:25 AM.  7 lbs, 7 oz and 19 3/4 in long.  Just an hour after we got to the hospital. I do have to say, it was probably more a feeling of relief than anything when I held her for the first time.

Healthy little girl!

Adelaide Esther Maughan

I did tear, (TMI, maybe) so aside from being tender where that happened, recovery has been really smooth.  I was amazed at how good I felt (again, relatively) so quickly after she was born.

View from the hospital room.  Isn't it gorgeous?!

They were only able to get one dose of the antibiotics in me before she was born, which wasn't as much as they wanted.  But she is healthy!  And so far has been unaffected by Group B Strep.

Calder's first time meeting his baby sister.  We all adore her!

 Just like always, timing ended up being perfect. We were released from the hospital on Wednesday, and were able to pick up my mom that night.

Going home!

She is such a sweet little girl!  We feel so blessed and are so grateful that she is part of our family!

First new family picture!