2 weeks old

The first two weeks of a baby's life are always a blur . . it has been hard to even sit down at the computer to post pictures! Sleepless nights and constant breast feeding take it's toll, BUT I couldn't be happier! I feel like I am healing pretty well from the C-section, though the first week was really hard. Having a C-section is DEFINITELY different! The birth itself was a piece of cake- I didn't have to do ANYTHING but lay there, and it was virtually pain free. I was awake for it because I had a spinal block, so I heard (and felt) the baby being born. It was wierd to feel things going on in my abdomen (pressure, pushing, pulling, etc), but I didn't feel any pain. It was later that the pain and harder recovery set in. When I first came home from the hospital, I felt pretty weak and overwhelmed because I realized how little I could still do. Even bending over to pick up a toy on the floor was not good . . . but I can say each day that goes by I can tell I am healing and I can do more. It was WONDERFUL having Jon home most of last week (all except Wednesday when he had to go to the tri-cities for some testing). He really stepped up and did what was needed around the house. The week went by too fast!!! I already miss him, even though he has only been back to work for a few days. He is such a good dad- he is so proud of his new little Tyler!


More pictures from the rest of our hospital stay, and when we first came home:






My mom came for a few days - Thursday through Sunday - - it was wonderful to have her there with us!


I look a little more tired in this picture- several sleepless nights in the hospital will do that . . .


Going home from the hospital! So happy to be bringing home our new little Tyler!



The kids and their new little brother when we first got home:
Marcus is so happy to have another boy in the family! It makes things "fair" according to him . . .


Cynthia is so cute about Tyler- she asks me every day after school if Tyler missed her - - and she can't go to sleep at night with out saying good night to him and giving him a kiss.


Even Lillian is so cute about "Baby Tywer" - - though she definitely wants her share of attention- she is super loving and excited about being a big sister!


If you were wondering about the stuffed Giraffe in the pictures of Tyler- we bought "Ty" Beanie babies for each of the kids as a keepsake/ toy to remember Tyler's birth. The Giraffe "Topper" is Tylers, the Duck "Quakley" is Lillian's, the Tiger is Marcus', and the Dolphin is Cynthia's.
Can you believe we have four kids? This is their very first picture all together!


Although Jon is back at work, I feel like I am doing fine taking care of things at home - - I just have to do everything in small pieces and let some things go. Thank heavens for the wonderful friends I have here who have brought us meals! Thanks to anyone who has helped us- - it is so greatly appreciated!

Last weekend my parents came to visit again, and Jon's parents stopped by for a brief visit on Sunday. Such wonderful family time!

Roasting marshmallows outside in our new fire pit with my parents and the kids:




Grandpa Monson with his 9th grandchild!

What a fun grandpa - - helping Lillian at the kid's castle at Gymnastics Plus:


Grandma and Grandpa Wilson with their 21st grandchild:



Our happy family! Sorry about the stripes- - we were sitting next to the blinds on a sunny day . . .


The Wilson boys- - Jon, Marcus and Tyler!


The four Wilson children! My world revolves around these children . . . and I love them all dearly!

Welcome Tyler James Wilson!

He is BEAUTIFUL and we are so excited to welcome him to our family! He was born at 5:04 PM, was 7 pounds 8 ounces, and 21 inches long. Perfectly pink and smooth, he came out showing off his perfect lungs! Jon was able to participate a lot in this birth- he even was the one to lift our new little son out of my abdomen (rear end first!). There is nothing like the look in a dad's eyes when their child is born- - he is so super proud, as am I. It is so fun to have a baby boy again.

I just want to get some pictures up on my blog for now (I am pretty tired and sore), so I will post more details of the day later. Jon and I just adore him!

The before picture:


Brand new baby!





Proud parents and Dr. Harrington (my OB- who I feel is the best OB I have ever had!):


Mama and baby:



Look at those pouty lips! He was super alert right after he was born.



Added later: A re-cap of the day's events . . .

Wednesday October 7, 2009:
9:30 am Jon and I arrive at the hospital because the doctor told us he was going to try to squeeze us in early. We find out that we for sure aren't going to get in early, so we leave and do some shopping for a couple of hours. It was like a pre-birth date! We found "Ty" Beanie Babies at Hallmark and bought one for each child in our family- to remember this special day.

11:30 am We go back to the hospital, check in and begin our long wait. We were scheduled for a 1:30 c-section, but three emergency C-sections ended up going before us. We read our book (Mortal Instruments trilogy- - GREAT series!!), and watched some TV, while I laid there feeling pretty weak because I am not allowed to eat.

4:30 ish We finally get to go down to be prepped for the surgery in the OR. I was given a spinal block, was strapped to the OR table, and it began!

5:04 pm We welcome Tyler James Wilson into the world! Jon was assisting (as he has done many times in his training), and the doctor let him actually pull our little guy out of my abdomen. I remember thinking- WOW, that was so easy. It was AMAZING, and he was such a proud daddy. For the next 45 minutes or so I am put back together (this is where most of the pushing and pulling and pressure happened), they are taking care of the baby, then we are takend to the recovery room where I first get to hold him, etc. Having a C-section was an amazing experience, because I felt so fresh and not worn out when I first held our little guy. I found out LATER why a c-section is not the preferred way to go - - the recovery was totally different and so much harder.

The rest of the hospital stay (which was until Saturday the 10th) I recovered as much as I could, despite getting hardly any sleep. The hospital was wonderful, except for the fact that they don't have a nursery and the babies have to remain in the room with the moms - - thus, I was awake all night with my newborn! My breaks were when Jon would come back during the day and would take him out to show him off. What a proud daddy!

Having a baby is always an amazing experience, and we are sooo happy to have our little Tyler with us!

Tomorrow is the big day!

I am sooo excited, and a bit nervous. This is really happening tomorrow! Getting all of the details in place for my C-section has been exciting and scary. I know things will be fine, though. It will be a whole new experience! I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore- it is getting insanely uncomfortable. I am also so ready to meet our new little family member. I will finally be able to hold him in my arms and see his face!

Tyler James Wilson- - this is what we are going to name him. It's funny how it came about- - for the longest time we had a list of four or five names we really liked, that we couldn't decide between. I was waiting for that "feeling" that this is his name. It just wasn't coming! We would even watch movie credits to look at names. Finally we sat the kids down and asked them which name they liked off our little list. EVERY single one of them said Tyler- and then I got that "feeling" I was waiting for! I guess it was important to have the kids involved in naming our new little guy! Since then, they have been calling by his name- even little Lillian knows "baby Tywer" is in mommy's tummy.

This last weekend we got everything ready- including his room. I am so proud of myself for making curtains! I am NOT good a sewing, so they aren't perfect, but they turned out really cute. Jon also re-painted the changing table to match the colors of the curtains, and we made a changing table pad to match. We are ready for you Tyler!

Breech Baby

Our newest little boy is going to be born on October 7th!

I am scheduled for a C-section for Wednesday the 7th, because the baby is breech. He has been in the wrong position for about 2 months, and hasn't budged. We thought he would naturally turn on his own by now - - but he is nice an snugly comfortable with his head in my ribs! It has been an interesting pregnancy- I have to say I really don't like being kicked on my bladder and down in my hip bones . . . Anyway, Tuesday I had a "version" done- to try to turn the baby. I went to the hospital where they monitored me and the baby, and did an ultrasound to check his position. I was given an muscle relaxant so I wouldn't contract during the procedure, then my doctor pushed and tried to re-position the baby. That stubborn little guy would not budge! Despite the discomfort of the procedure, I feel like it was worth a try. Oh well . . .

After some long conversations with my doctor and between the two of us, Jon and I decided a planned C-section is our best option. My doctor DOES do vaginal breech deliveries, but they are more risky to the mom and baby, and often times end up in a c-section anyway if things aren't going just perfectly. So instead of the uncertainty and stress of trying to do that, we are going for the predictable option. Yes, it will be a more difficult recovery- but luckily this is really good timing for Jon's schedule (the very end of one rotation, and the beginning of another)- so he is able to take a little more time off. He will have Wednesday (the big day) all the way through the following week off - - 12 days including the weekends. That is the most he has been able to ever take off with a birth of a child, so I am excited.

We feel a lot of peace and excitement over our decision. It is sooo nice to be able to plan in advance, and truly I am not that sad about missing labor! After my last birth with Lillian, where I didn't get my epidural in time . . . it will be a nice change to not have endure natural child birth.

Mostly, I am so excited to see my little guy! I am so ready to hold him in my arms and see his little face - - and I won't be sad to be done being pregnant . . .

Thank you for everyone's prayers and well-wishes - - I already feel so loved! I truly feel so blessed for such loving friends and family. Also- if anyone is in the area - - I am the type to LOVE having visitors- just as long as you don't care whether my house looks neat and tidy! I will be in the hospital (Memorial Hospital in Yakima) at least through Saturday the 10th, maybe even later, and am happy to have visitors!! Just a quick note- you might want to call first, though, especially if kids are with you - - I heard they might not let ANY kids under the age of 14 on the maternity floor due to the flu viruses going around, we will have to see.

I feel so blessed to be welcoming our fourth child to our family- and I feel such a depth of love for this new little life!

Happy Birthday Jon

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband! 34 . . .

I love you so much and am so happy to have you in my life - - we truly have a blessed life together. No matter what happens in every other aspect of our life, our love has only gotten stronger and when I look at our family I am filled with gratitude for the love we all share. Thank you for all you do for our family, and being the wonderful husband and father you are!

The kids and I dropped off balloons, cards and chocolate to CWFM (where he was working that day), and celebrated that night with Pumpkin Cheescake Pie and stuffed green peppers (all Jon's favorites!).

Greenbluff and a fun weekend

One last trip to Spokane before the baby comes was just the ticket! Mainly, we wanted to go to the temple before we have a nursing baby to care for, and it is so much easier to go there because my parents live just a few minutes from the Spokane Temple. It was a beautiful session and definitely something Jon and I needed.

It has also been our family tradition to go to Greenbluff every year for their fall festival- - especially Seimer's Farm and Walter's Farm. The corn maze with the castle and the pirate ship play area is always fun, along with the cute log cabin playhouse, looking at the vendors and eating kettle corn! The kids also spent a lot of time in a huge sand box full of dried peas - - enjoy the pictures of them buried in the peas! Thanks mom and dad Monson for taking us out for a fun day!!! And thanks to mom and dad Wilson for letting us use your house, even though you were having a fun weekend in Glacier! I am glad we got to see you a little on Sunday. It was also nice to visit with Jon's sister on Sunday before we left town.

I love fall . . .