First Week with Kate

Our first week with Kate was great. The adjustment to having four kiddos has proven to be a lot easier than Doug and I anticipated it would be. Kate has such a wonderful temperament, she sleeps great, she eats well...she's great! Doug was able to stay home the first week that Kate was home, which was wonderful for ALL of us! My recovery has gone surprising well, so it was nice to truely enjoy having everyone home together for such a long period of time! I so wish that moments like this lasted longer...having my hubby and kids all together for an entire week was the best gift that I could have ever been given! It really was SO wonderful!

During that first week, I pretty much held Kate every moment that I could and just took in every moment...I have learned that they are only this small for such a short period of time and I didn't want to miss one second! Cuddling with a newborn is one of my most favortie things to do, so I'm really cherishing it this time around ;). Needless to say, our first week with Kate was a week that I'll never forget. Here are some pictures of baby Kate during her first week with us :).

Leah begs to hold Kate every day. She absolutely adores her little sister and will hold her and talk to her for a pretty good amount of time. I so look forward to bond that they will share as sisters :).Kate pretty much slept the entire first week that she was home with us! Here's are some pictures of her awake. She's a beauty!And, just like her daddy and Noah, she sneezes all.of.the.time! Daddy and his girls.Kate has the longest fingers! This picture doesn't do it justice, but I can say that I've never seen a newborn with fingers as long as hers! Maybe we'll have to get her in piano lessons when she's older?Kate's umbilical cord fell off when she was five days old, so we were able to give her a *real* bath sooner than later. She absolutely loved being in the water......but she absolutely hated it when we pulled her out! Pretty much every bath has been like this ever since. Doug and I are becoming a pro at getting her out and dressed in record time.

My Little Artist

Leah is definitely the little artist in our family. Just like me, when I was young, she loves to draw, color, and be creative with her crafts. She spends hours at the counter making pieces of art for me, and I treasure these little creations. She also likes to mix the paint together to see what colors she can make...she loves to experiment like that. I'll have to share some of her creations soon :). They're pretty good, if you ask me.

So Loved

I am totally and completely in love with this little angel. Just like her brothers and sister, she has stolen my heart. And it's not only me, everyone else in this house is head over heels for Kate! The moment that she cries or fusses, everyone is by her side to make sure that she is ok. She is so loved...she is definitely one lucky little girl :).

She's Here!

Kate Smith

April 20, 2012

9:51 a.m.

7 lbs. 9 oz.

19 1/2 inches long

Our sweet baby Kate is finally here, and we couldn't be more happy to have this little angel here for us to hold and love. She is a perfect fit to our family and we love her SO much! There is so much love to go around, and we definitely are giving a lot of it to Kate. She really is so special to each one of us!

My due date with Kate was April 24, but I scheduled to be induced on April 20. I was really happy that I made it to that date for a number of reasons...it just seemed like the perfect day to have this little angel. I was contacted by the hospital the day before and was told that I was going to be their first induction of the day...YAY! With Isaac, I wasn't contacted to come in until 7:00 at night! It made for a very, VERY, long day, so I was beyond thrilled when I was told to come in bright and early at 7:00 a.m.!

I was very lucky to get a very good nights rest the night before. I was seriously so exhausted from getting everything ready for my absence for the next few days. My mom was an angel and came to spend the entire weekend with the kids! I was so thankful for all of her help! She arrived on Friday morning at 6:15, and Doug and I were off to the hospital soon after. I just had to say goodbye to the kids, and when I did they woke right up instead of going back to sleep! Ugh! I guess they were just as excited as we were to have this baby!

After we arrived at the hospital, we got settled in and met with our nurse. I was very insistent to the nurse that I wanted to get my epidural before they broke my water. All of my labors have been exactly the same...as soon as my water breaks, my labor takes off! Within the hour I am completely dilated and ready to deliver, and I just knew that it would be the same with this one! With Leah and Isaac, they waited to give me my epidural and it didn't work because I progressed SO fast! SO, this time I wanted it beforehand. I got my wish and got my epidural before they started the pitocin or broke my water at 8:45. BUT, I could tell that the epidural wasn't working as it should as soon as the doc broke my water. My right leg was numb, but my left one wasn't. I waited it out, but I was starting to feel the contractions within 10 minutes, and they hurt so badly. I know that some people prepare for this kind of pain, but I am just not one of them! The doctor came back to adjust my epidural, and about 5 minutes later my left leg went numb, BUT I could still feel my contractions! The pain from labor is definitely not in your legs! I could feel the contractions where it counts and I was starting to go insane by all the pain. SO, once again, the dang epidural didn't work! I was frustrated, but at the same time I understood why it didn't work...my body progresses too fast for the epidural to work! It kicked a little bit of the pain, but definitely not enough to matter! By 9:40 I was pretty much crying from the pain, so the nurse checked me and I was dilated to a TEN! I had gone from a 4 to a 10 in less then one hour! Crazy! The doctor came pretty quickly, and during my next contraction I pushed ONE time and our baby girl was here! Seriously, this was definitely my fastest labor and delivery. And as bad as it sounds, I am so thankful that it went as fast as it did...pain and all. I probably wouldn't be saying that while I was in labor, but now that it's all done, it was worth it :).

As soon as Kate was born, they put her on my chest. I couldn't stop staring at this precious little girl...she was beautiful! I kept thinking to myself how perfect this baby was...she was absolutely perfect! During the first few minutes after she was born, the nurses tried to get her to cry, but she wouldn't. She kept grunting, but not crying. They were nervous that she had a lot of fluid in her lungs and couldn't cry, so they took her to the nursery to make sure she was OK. Doug went with her and everything was just fine with her. It turns out she is just a mellow little girl and didn't want to cry...I don't mind that one bit! Although, she did finally cry as soon as she was given a bath, and I don't blame her at all! After an hour, they brought her back to me and we were able to cuddle and love on her the rest of the time that I was in the hospital.

That first day with Kate was wonderful! It was just so great to finally be able to touch her and look at her. That feeling is the absolute best! What was even better was having her meet Noah, Leah, and Isaac for the first time. That was a moment to remember! The kids have taken to her so well...they all can't get enough of her and love her SO much! She is definitely loved by her siblings, that's for sure!

My stay at the hospital went by very fast, thank goodness! Coming home was all that I wanted...to come home and really start living our lives with this new bundle of joy! Life with Kate has been so wonderful! We couldn't ask for anyone better...she really is a perfect fit for our family!

Last picture of me pregnant.

One of the first pictures of Kate.Family of SIX! I still can't believe that there are six of us! I love it :).Daddy cuddling with Kate on our first night in the hospital. She LOVES to cuddle :).I still can't believe how much hair Kate has! When she was born, the nurse asked us if our other kids had that much hair, to which we said "yes" because at first it didn't look like much. As soon as she had a bath and it was all "fluffed" up, we were so surprised to see how much there actually was! Leah had long hair, but not as much as Kate. All of the nurses in the hospital would come in and say "Look at all that hair!". I just hope that it stays...I doubt it though.Getting ready to go home...

One more day!

Tomorrow is the big day! The day that I become a mother to four little ones!

It seems like I have the same emotions every time that I have a new baby...I'm so excited to meet this little girl, but at the same time I worry about how Noah, Leah, and Isaac are going to react to this change in our house. I know that Noah and Leah are beyond excited to meet their sister, I just hope that they understand what comes along with having a baby. Noah tells me that he remembers when Isaac was born, which is good, but Leah doesn't really have a clue of the time that I am going to have to dedicate to this new little one. I am very thankful that she is quick to learn, so hopefully she understands quickly...we'll see. I think more than anything, Leah is just excited to see her sister and to actually hold her. She LOVES babies, and the thought of having one in our house is just so exciting to her. It will be interesting to see the bond between my two girls :).

Now, I now that Noah is going to be an amazing big brother, again, to his new little sister. He still watches out for Leah and Isaac, so I know that he'll do the same for the baby. I'm thankful to have Noah around...seriously, he such a big help to me. And the thing is, is that whenever I ask him for help, he does it willingly. I'm so glad that he has a good attitude about being helpful...it's one of the many things I admire about that boy :).

I am a bit nervous about Isaac though. He and the baby will be 22 months apart! He is so attached to Doug and I and I want to make sure that he still gets the attention that he needs. He will touch my tummy and say "baby" all of the time, but does he really know what that means? I guess we'll find out soon enough. When he's around his new little cousin, he is so gentle with her, so hopefully he is the same way with his little sister. I'm sure he will. And I'm sure that I'm nervous about absolutely nothing! I just hope that I'm still able to rock him to sleep for his naps...that is a moment that I look forward to almost every day. I love cuddling with him as he falls asleep...it's the best!

More than anything, I'm just SO excited to meet this little girl. Who is this little one who has been kicking me like crazy? What does she look like? What is her personality going to be like? I can't wait to find out! I look forward to that first moment of laying my eyes on her and touching her for the first time. I know it will be just as amazing as it was with Noah, Leah, and Isaac! My kids are my world...as is their daddy. I cherish my family so much and I so look forward to becoming a family of SIX tomorrow. Yes, I know that tomorrow will defiinitely be a good day! I can't wait!

Here is one last picture of me pregnant.

Noah is SIX!

I'm still in awe that I have a SIX year old! Where does the time go? Noah was the one who made me a mom...I always wanted to be a mom. When I was little and was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd always say "a mom". Noah made this dream come true! These past six years of motherhood have been the best of my life! And to think that this little guy is now six just blows me away! He's an awesome little guy and we sure do love him so much!

I was really happy that Noah's birthday was during spring break...it was nice to spend the entire day with him to celebrate his special day. He slept in until 9:00...I think that was his gift to me, since he is usually up every morning at 7:00!
Noah chose to open his gifts before eating breakfast :). He got a Nerf gun, which is LOVES, a Slip 'n Slide, a baseball mit, and a remote control helicopter! He was one happy boy!He, of course, chose pancakes for breakfast. Yum!!It was a bit gloomy and rainy on Noah's birthday, so we pretty much spent the day inside playing and watching movies. But, as soon as daddy came home, we headed off to the local play place that had miniature golf, a rock wall, games, etc... Noah was SO excited to go! It was pretty busy, but we still had a wonderful time...especially this little guy :).All Leah wanted to do was ride the carousel. She's pretty easy to please :).All Noah really wanted to do was climb the climbing wall. So, after waiting in line for what seemed like forever, he finally got his chance. He did really well for it being his first time. He told me that he would get nervous when he got up really high and looked down...but we assured him that he was safe. Love that little face!Noah and daddy :). Love these boys!When we were all done, we headed home for some yummy hot fudge sundaes...boy were they yummy! I really adore this picture...see how they're all smiling! That doesn't happen very often for a picture :). They must have been really happy to have a good dessert! Noah begged me all day to have a "late night" on his birthday, and who am I to say no?!?! Especially when I know that he is going to crash with in minutes of sitting on the couch, which is exactly what happened!This boy has been a great addition to our family and we cherish every minute with him. He's grown up SO much this past year and become my little helper and constant companion throughout the days. I love him to pieces and I look forward to watch him grow in the years to come. We love you Noah, to the moon and back!!!

Easter ~ 2012

It seems as if Easter is one of our busier weekends out of the year...but that's just fine with me. I always look forward to getting together with family and letting the kids play with their cousins to their hearts content. Good times!

On Saturday we went to my Grandma Fowler's house for her annual Easter party. The kids had a blast and came home with way too many treats!

Waiting for the candy toss...a Fowler Family tradition :).The goods...oh my!The little Fowler grandkids and great-grandkids!On Sunday, we celebrated Easter our house with the Smith Family. The dinner this year was oh, so yummy! I think that Easter dinner is one of my favorite dinners of the year! I might just be saying that because I was a super pregnant girl that was super hungry on Sunday...but it really was that good! After eating, we had an Easter Egg Hunt with the little ones...

Man, aren't they the cutest bunch of kids!?!?! Love them all!Shea had a good time :).Ah...see, they do love eachother :).Leah checking out her loot...she was not as fast as some of the older kids and was a little sad that she didn't get as many eggs. BUT those cousins each gave her a few of their stash...that definitely made this girl happy :).We decided to have a little celebration for Noah and Leah's birthday too! Doug and I made a pinata this year, and it was pretty indistructable! We had to end up slicing it open a bit so that they could get the candy!

Isaac attempting to break the non-breakable pinata...Good form, Leah!And after it finally broke, all the kiddos jumped in to get all of the candy that they could...like they needed more, but oh well!Then we sang to my sweet Noah and Leah and they blew out their candles :). It's weird to think that for a few more days, I have a 4 year old AND a 5 year old! Crazy! It was a great Easter weekend! Now I just need to figure out a way to get rid of all this candy without Noah and Leah noticing! Like that will ever happen! Ha!

Easter Dress ~ 2012

Here are the kiddos all dressed up for Easter Sunday. I was cheap this year and just got a new outfit for Leah and not the boys...they didn't seem to mind ;).