Spring Cleaning

Over spring break Matt and the kids washed the cars.  While they were at it they decided to wash themselves as well! Love that spring is here!

Center of Attention

This little girl is the center of our world right now and we love it! She is right where she is supposed to be and we couldn't be happier.  We love you Macy J!

 She doesn't even get to swing without Evie by her side.

Macy's first bath

Nana has given all of our kids their very first bath. What lucky kids! Macy didn't think she was too lucky however, she did NOT like it!  It was over quick enough and then she got to cuddle with Nana, which she did like.

 Much better.

Nice to meet you

The kids had to wait longer than expected to meet baby Macy.  Since she had to stay in the NICU they had to wait that much longer and they didn't understand why Mom came home with no baby! That's not what was supposed to happen! But when they woke up and discovered she was finally here they were so excited!

 Here they are holding her for the very first time.

 Evie especially loves her baby sister.  She gives her so much attention, maybe too much attention?

 

 Here they are opening their gifts from Macy.

Can't believe we are a family of six!

Macy J Has Arrived

The birth story:  One week before my due date I had my membranes stripped and made the appointment to be induced the next day.  That night I went into labor on my own.  I was up in the night with contractions, but I was freezing cold.  I couldn't seem to get warm, my entire body was shaking and my teeth were chattering uncontrollably.  We finally decided we should go to the hospital.  We got there before 5am.  I got all hooked up and ready to go.  Once I was "comfortable" Matt decided he had better leave and get himself some breakfast.  I told him to go right then, before things really got going.  Only a few minutes after he left, the nurse told me the news.  She told me that my fever was very high, she said it is difficult for an adult to get such a high fever.  Something was wrong.  They said they thought I had an infection called Chorioamnionitis, which is an infection of the membranes.  I thought they would give me some antibiotics and we could get on with it.  Then she said it could affect the baby.  Immediately after birth our sweet baby would have to be taken to the NICU, have an IV, have a series of tests, and be monitored for 36 hours to make sure everything was okay.  Of course I burst into tears and couldn't believe Matt wasn't with me!  When Matt got back a few minutes later and saw my face he knew right away that something was wrong.  It was so terrifying not knowing if Macy would be okay.

My contractions got pretty intense and I finally got my epidural...I was at about a 7.  After a few hours the epidural seemed to wear off and my contractions were almost unbearable.  I kept pushing the pain button but there was no relief.  The anesthesiologist came in and gave me some medication but it was time to have this baby! The baby's heart rate kept dropping and they had to give me oxygen.  The cord was wrapped around her neck and with every contraction she was put in distress.  Matt and I were getting really scared.  Luckily with my first push he was able to get the cord from around her neck and then another push and she was here!

 Macy J McLaws was born on February 26, 2013 at 11:46 am.  She was our biggest baby, at 7 lbs 5 oz. and 20 inches long.  We were unsure of her name up until right before we left the hospital, but when I had to fill out her birth certificate information I automatically put Macy, so that was it!

We were able to hold her for about 20 minutes before they had to take her to the NICU.  I stayed an extra night in the hospital so I could be there and visit her as often as possible.  It didn't take us long to realize that she was going to be just fine.  She was healthy and strong and we wanted to take her home!  With a lot of nagging we were able to sneak her out after about 33 hours in the NICU.

Here is the nurse, scared to tell me that it was time to take Macy away!

Here she is in the NICU.

The IV in her hand was so heartbreaking.

We are so grateful for this sweet baby girl.

Ella loses a tooth!

 Ella's tooth was loose for a LONG time.  She would not pull it out or let anyone near it.  The adult tooth actually started coming in behind it.  It bothered her, she complained when she ate, and we were all sick of it! Finally Matt took control and pulled it out.  He couldn't get a good grip so he used pliers! They did the trick! She started screaming until she realized he got the tooth out and then she was happy as could be! Since her little brother had already lost 2 teeth she was more than ready to get a visit from the tooth fairy.

Baby Mode

With all of the baby things around Evie is starting to revert back to baby mode! She keeps laying in the bouncer with a binky and a blanket and says, "wahhhh." What is she going to do when the baby actually arrives???

Arts and Crafts

Ella and Kash painted these masks and enjoyed wearing them around the house scaring Mom! They looked pretty creepy...

Swig Run

The kids love to go to Swig and visit Aunt Nikki and get a snow cone!

Daddy is back!

 Matt could hardly get in the door before the kids attacked him.  He was stuck in the hallway for a while just giving hugs! We sure missed him, three weeks is a long time to be away.

Kash made him a valentine's card.

 After lots of hugs and loves the party moved to the backyard where we jumped on the tramp and hit balls.  One of the balls went on the roof so Ella was all to eager to jump up there and get it!

 Evie was napping when Matt got home so when she woke up and came outside she was so excited!

 Kisses for Dad!

 What would we do without him??