Late Birthday Pictures

Two days after Natalie's birthday we were finally feeling well enough to celebrate. It wasn't really elaborate, but she enjoyed opening presents and eating her Kitty cupcake. Attention is all she needs to make her happy.

Natalie directing the "Happy Birthday" song.

Two Big For Her Own Britches

Two years ago today...

Our life was changed forever. In fact it has seemed like every two years we have been going through change introducing a new child to our family. But two years ago today we entered into the "Natalie World" that took us places that we never wanted to be...but helped us realize how much of a miracle every new life is.

For all of those who have been praying for our little half-heart blessing, I thought I'd give a detailed update on her current antics:

• Natalie has been sick lately with a gastrointestinal bug. It's come out of both ends and made our usually very active girly a little more tired. (So no party today. Mamma and Jessie aren't feeling well either.)
• But...that didn't stop her from chowing down on two packages of Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups...all before breakfast this morning. Of course, she hasn't been eating much at mealtime, but candy must be in a different category. How she figured out how to open the package is beyond me. Smart girl.
  This girl loves chocolate. She will even eat the 70% dark chocolate that I love so much. She's fortunate that dark chocolate is being advertized as a "heart healthy" snack.
  
• Natalie's newfound passion is cooking. She loves to sit on the stool next to me and watch when I'm working in the kitchen. But...sitting and watching isn't the only thing she does. She also thinks she's big enough to learn how to cut-with a knife! Everything with a toddler is interactive!
  

• With all the mention of food, you would think that she would be a little porker, but Natalie is just hanging around 22 pounds still. She has cut out wanting milk at night just recently. Her appetite is usually good, but some of her favorites include rice, manderine oranges, yogurt, cheese and salad (with lots of Ranch dressing, of course).
• Natalie became a big sister on November 12th. Her little BROTHER, Craig, was born. What a surprise! We totally expected getting another little girl to play around with Natalie. So Natalie's world will be a lot different than we had expected having a brother instead. So far, she has adored her little baby and given him all kinds of hugs and kisses.
• Just in the past month, Natalie's volcabulary has exploded. She is now saying many single words and has just started putting together two words at a time. The lady from the Infant Learning Program that has followed Natalie since we have brought her home a year and a half ago did an evaluation of her last week to find that she is around 18 months in her speech development, but 24 to 28 months in her cognitive interpretation. Her gross motor skills were at 28 months and fine motor was right at 24 months. I just love to hear her say her name-Latalie! We are so thankful for how Natalie has grown and matured these past two years.
• Just like her older two sisters, Natalie has become a big tease. She gets a real mischevious look on her face and will act like she's giving you something then take it back. This teasing isn't so funny when it happens when I'm feeding Craig and can't go take off after her.
• Just after Natalie's baby brother was born, she had another cardiology appointment with Dr. Brauner. Her Daddy took her to that appointment as it was literally the day after Craig was born. According to him, she didn't want to have much to do with the doctor, but then her world had just been turned upside down and Mommy wasn't there with her. Daddy said that she was satting at 77% but wasn't happy the whole time they were trying to get it. Dr. B thought she was doing well and didn't require her to be seen for another 6 months. They did discuss the next step in her three-part open heart surgery heart transformation-the Fontan. They would like for her to be at 10 kg or around 33 pounds before they do it. I'm expecting for that to be a year at least with as little as she's gained lately. We will continue to monitor her oxygen saturations to make sure that they don't drop too low before that time.
• We had a real treat seeing the man that was behind saving Natalie's life two years ago. Dr. Cohen, the head surgeon, was making a 24 hour visit to Anchorage the day that Craig was born and Dr. B brought him by to see us and the baby. I have vivid memories of Dr. Cohen sitting in the chair out in the CICU hallway right after Natalie's surgery. According to staff comments, he stayed there until 2am to make sure she had stabilized enough that she wouldn't have to go on ECMO (or bypass). She was a pretty sick cookie.

Happy Birthday Natalie, you are one treasured little girl!

You Know You're a Heart Mom When...

You know you're a heart mom when...

You find yourself worrying about your current, healthy baby crying too much for fear of them using too many calories and not gaining enough weight.

One, Two, Three-flying by!

Time seems to keep flying by. My parents were here to help out until after Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have Mom and Dad around to help out. I was spoiled by not having to do the piles of laundry and cook all the meals.

This picture of Craig was taken after doing a round trip to Anchorage (a 15 hour day) for his and my doctor's appointments at one week old. He was so happy to be out of his carseat and stretch. I know they say that babies this young can't smile, but I swear this is what came across his face after I laid him in his bassinet!

Daddy caught this one.

Heidi loves to hold her brother. She will scoop him up any chance she gets. Jess hasn't held him as much lately. She's been more worried about putting up Christmas decorations!

Our little pound puppy has started to fill in his skin again. He made it to 7# 5 ounces at two weeks of age. I was thrilled that he was back up to birthweight. Since then he's been packing it on. He loves to eat...especially at night!

I love this one. He looks like a little mole.

Natalie's baby! She always has to check out his location when she gets up from her nap. She's a good helper bringing diapers and wipes for me to change him. You might be able to see the shiner that she got under her left eye last week. She pulled out a drawer that hit her cheekbone right under her eye. So glad that it missed her eyeball.

Natalie has forced the subject of potty training with me. I hate potty training with a passion and think that it's the hardest thing a parent has to do (so far...). She will not leave her clothes on and is obsessed with the potty. So I gave in and got the training pants and little potty out today. I really didn't want it to be this way...nursing a newborn and potty training at the same time, but she's given me no choice-especially when she keeps yanking off her dirty diapers and running around naked. If anyone has any suggestions on smooth, for sure methods let me know.

Mr, Craig at three weeks old. He's such a handsome man and has his little old man looks.

New Pictures

LEAVING THE HOSPITAL

(Three days old)

The girls first introduction to their little brother. All three of them had been sick earlier last week and weren't allowed on the Maternity floor. We had some really disappointed kids...especially Heidi who had taken off of school so she could go to Anchorage for the baby's arrival.

Heidi, my nurturing and mothering child.

Jessica, all serious and down to business. She knows exactly what the baby needs and wants!

Craig James at 6 days old-a rare awake moment. Now that he's got his tummy full, life is good. He's just eating, sleeping and pooping!

Natalie's point of view. Her "Bebee." Natalie is enthralled with her new little brother. You can see how hard she tries to be nice, but sometimes it just comes out-her orneriness. Craig is going to have to get used to all the maulings that he'll get in the coming days.

After Craig's first bath at home-hair all slicked down and wide awake.

Drum ROLL.......

It's a....

7# 3 oz., 19 inch long......

BOY

Craig James was born at 8:01 AM Thursday, November 12th. He is healthy and has been checked out extensively by the pediatrician and cardiologist. I had a little rougher time around this time with the c-section, but am doing much better today. All I can say is that I hate IV narcotics! Just give me Toradol and Percocet and I do much better.

Craig has a lovely pinkish/red complexion with eyebrows and eyelashes so light that you can't hardly see them. His hair is silvery blonde. I think we're going to have a toe-head on our hands with this one. He's been very laid back (he's going to have to get some spunk if he's going to survive his three older sisters.) and hasn't been interested much in nursing until today. He looks like our baby and fits in well with the rest of the babies in our family.

It's been so nice to snuggle with my baby and just experience all the "normal" things about newborns this time around. I did have a few tears during and after his birth with all the memories of Natalie's traumatic experience right after birth. But God is so good! I felt absolutely aweful after Craig was born and can't imagine what it would have been like if I'd felt that badly after Natalie was born and then she crashed. I know that my comprehension and involvement would have been a lot different. I felt pretty good after Natalie was born so was able to be up in the wheelchair in the NICU before they transferred her to Seattle.

Heidi, Jess and Natalie all had fever and sore throats with a cough earlier this week so they haven't been able to see their little brother. They're really disappointed. Grandpa and Grandma from Michigan have been a good diversion.

Well, it's time to eat. I'll post more pictures later.

Bear

While I was in Seattle with Natalie getting her g-tube removed the beginning of September, Tim took Heidi and Jessica hunting with him. They had a blast and the highlite of their trip was when their dad shot a big brown bear. It was a three year old six footer that was eating a caribou carcass that was about 150 yards off the road.

Below is Heidi posing with the bear. Tim with his bear.

Heidi and Jess with their Uncle Tod, Tim's brother.

Tim has many bear stories...like the one where he got pinned with his face in the ground by a dead bear, or the one when he broke his ankle and fell just as a huge sow jumped him and she totally missed him. (Tim said that God tripped him to save his life.) Growing up in bush Alaska he's got many such stories.

Hunting

Hunting for moose and caribou is not only a tradition for our family and many other Alaskan's but a way of life. The meat we eat is mainly moose, caribou and salmon with a little chicken thrown in there sometimes. There are many benefits to the lean game meat even though it is red meat.

My husband has grown up hunting and probably was given a gun on his second birthday. He has many stories of hunting with his father and brother. In his single life, he was a hunting and fishing maniac. We have a head and shoulder's moose mount on our livingroom wall with a Boone and Crocket world record spread of 70." When I married Tim, I knew that it was inevitable that we would have animal heads on our walls. Our house was designed around that 70" moose. And although he has gotten many Dahl Sheep, bear and caribou worthy of displaying, the moose has been the only one (so far) that has made it on display. I'd have to say that my husband is quite humble when it comes to his hunting accomplishments. He has many stories that could have made quite an exciting TV program, but he's not one to go around bragging about them.

This year's moose was a little over 50," but according to Tim, it was the biggest looking 50 incher that he's ever seen. We have been thankful that the Lord has provided at least a half of a moose for us every year...no we don't go out and shoot half a moose. Sometimes, we "share" with family and friends.

Part of the success that my husband and their family has is due to the fact that they use horses to hunt with. They are able to go farther into the bush than some and go places where motorized vehicles are not allowed. Tim didn't ride this year as he had just had a hip replacement in June, but instead walked the 18 miles that it took to go in and get the moose and then make the two trips to bring him back out! At least the horses were the ones doing the packing!

It seems like the kill is the easiest. Then comes all the hard work of packing the moose out, getting it home and cutting up and processing it. We do all of our meat processing. I come to dread it more every year, but have to say that the hours of helping my husband cut and package meat affords us some quality communication time. (Maybe my dread has to do with the fact that I have either been pregnant or had a nursing child the past 6 years of hunting season. Sights and smells and back-breaking labor...) We cut up roasts, grind our own hamburger and can some of the meat. This year we made some Italian and breakfast sausage too. It is a good feeling to know that we have a freezer packed for the winter.
Natalie, Jess and I posing with the moose antlers from this year.

Natalie was so cute to watch feeding Lady. She would pull hay out of the bales and run it over to her one handful at a time. She wasn't intimidated by the big horses like she was last year.

I probably should mention that these pictures were taken of Tim's hunt in the middle of September. Our Fall starts in August and this year it was beautiful. The yellow leaves lasted a long time, but were gone by the end of September.

Bored?

I had to write this one down...
We were coming home in the car and Jessica (almost 5 in Jan) said, "Mommy, I'm bored."
I replied, "Are you a stick?"
"No, I'm bored!"
Then I went into a long explanation to explain my sarcasm. The boards that you use to build things are made of wood and so are sticks, so if you're board, you are a stick!
Jessie's closing comment, "But the boards get to hang out with the screws and have fun! I never get to have fun!"
She never ceases to amaze me!

Three Month Review

I know, it's been forever since I've posted a comment. Summer and Fall in Alaska seem to just fly by and being pregnant hasn't helped me be as productive as I had hoped to be. I think I'll start from today and go backwards.

This picture is of our family "picinic" in the woods today. Tim went out to cut wood and we joined him later. It was fun roasting hot dogs and having s'mores. Jessie had been looking forward to this time for days as her father had promised her that he would either take her hunting for caribou again (which didn't happen) or we would go on a picinic.

Well, this was posted by Natalie, believe it or not. She gets herself into trouble quite frequently these days. I wasn't done with it, but need to finish supper and get the girls ready for bed. So guess this will be "to be continued..."

Creative Capers

Natalie's first "Pebble's" hair-do.
Can you imagine what the auto insurance is going to be in another 10 years?

Natalie found the mud first...then the dog food.

Sometimes I feel like I'd like to pull my hair out for the sake of my kid's "creativity."

This morning started out with Heidi and Jessie "washing" the Suburban with wet, dirty brooms. Of course, the vehicle needed it, but I'm not sure they helped the situation out a whole lot. I can't fault them for their desire to help though. I found both of them on TOP of the Suburban...Heidi on the roof and Jessie on the hood...making sure they got every square inch! Argh! It wasn't even 10am yet.

Then came the next feat in Natalie's need to conquer. I heard her breathing hard as I was helping Jess with something in the living room. I looked over to the kitchen and there is Natalie with the biggest smile on her face on top of the kitchen bar counter! She had climbed up a step stool that was left beside the counter and made it onto the counter. She did her little victory dance up there before I could get over and bring her out of the clouds.

Good thing we had a deadline for lunch-when Tim comes home from work-otherwise it would have been a lot later.

Heidi and Jess's love affair with water continued when I sent them out to water the flowers. I should have known that they just couldn't resist playing in the water. The squeals brought me back out to check on them only to find that they had a five gallon bucket FULL to the brim with COLD water and they are taking turns sitting in it. "No harm" I think because the sun had come out and it was warming up. But in-between phone calls I check on them again and you guessed it-they're both naked. Why?! "My clothes were all wet!" "Duh!!!" So I get them their swimming suites....only to find them naked again in about 15 minutes. This time they had to go to the bathroom. (They availed themselves of the outside facilities-bushes. Good thing this isn't the middle of Anchorage.) Jessie's excuse was that she couldn't get her suite back on! I'm not sure Heidi had an excuse, but I'm sure she was trying to give me one.

I'd had enough, so quiet time it was. Not yet..."I'm cold. Can we have some hot chocolate?" was the cry. Well who could blame them? All that playing and cold water was bound to get them cold and hungry. Hot chocolate and a snack it was and then to lay down and be quiet.

Supper came and went. But it seems like Heidi and Jess hadn't gotten enough water therapy yet because I found them in the bathroom with a whole bucket of nuts (with the shells on them) in the sink filled with water! Heidi, who had asked to play "nicely" with the nuts, adamantly said it wasn't her idea-all Jessie's, I guess! At this point, I told Tim in a very stressed tone, "If my girls come up with one more creative idea today, I'm going to pull my hair out!!! What am I thinking having another one? I can't handle the ones I've got!"

So my day went. Now as I sit at the computer smelling like cut grass and mower exhaust desperately needing a shower, I realize that I did get a few things done today. The laundry is still in the washer and dryer, but my kids are peacefully sleeping in bed. They are healthy, fed, and now clothed.

I can ponder God's graces in allowing me to experience these creative capers. A year ago today, I was in Seattle for Natalie's second open-heart surgery. These experiences in life make us who we are. (Right now I feel like a frazzled mother.) Thank you God, for these treasures that you have entrusted to my care. May they use ALL of their creative talents for YOU!

Dirty Faces and Graduation

I knew Heidi and Jess would be filthy when they got back from "the Farm," but I don't think I was quite prepared. Tim went to spread fertilizer on the hay fields and the oldest two got to go along. I enjoyed my day cleaning the house and enjoying the quite during Natalie's long naps.

Can you guess who plays the hardest?

These feet had socks and shoes on them!!!
Kindergarten Graduation 2009

It is simply amazing to watch children grow. Heidi has now completed her first year of school. We are so proud of her accomplishments and how much she has grown as a person.

Heidi's kindergarten teacher left within the first two months of school. I was a little apprehensive about the changing of teachers, but it turned out to be a very smooth transition. We all love Mrs. Scribner who just found out she was expecting right before taking the job. I have to compliment her on how relaxed she seemed to be whenever I entered the classroom. I'm not sure I could handle a class of 15 kindergarteners.

Heidi received a Writing Award for displaying a love and talent for writing. This girl is constantly drawing or coloring. Now that she has learned how to spell and sound out words, we find notes and letters everywhere. Of course, sometimes I have to ask what the words are, but she does a pretty good job for a kindergartener.

Heidi receiving her Kindergarten Completion certificate.

Look at the change! This was my "little girl" on her first day of school on August 27, 2008. Since then she's grown out of those pants that she's wearing and is on to the next size. I've always heard mothers talk about not being able to hold back the hands of time as they watch their children grow...and know I'm experiencing it firsthand.

Boxed Delights anyone?

This was the second outfit that she ruined in a matter of minutes. We had some rain yesterday and she found the puddles with out problems.

As you can see, my girls have their own ideas of what is weather appropriate wear.

Natalie's love affair with the "Doh" ends when he turns around and knocks her over or wacks her in the face with his tale.

Our little princess and her Babie Jeep.

Mother's Day

These pictures tell the story of the struggle to get a good picture. These are some of the best of the worst.

Last weekend (Mother's Day weekend) we went to an airshow in Valdez. It was cool and windy and the girls didn't really get into anything but playing in the dirt. As you can see in the background, the planes were all "bush planes." We watched they having a contest to see who could take off the fastest and who could land in the shortest distance. We even saw one plane that ended up on it's nose from hitting the brakes too hard. All in all, it was good to get away, but I was exhausted by the time we made the two hour trip home, fed and bathed the girls and got them into bed.

Priceless

The only difference between boys and girls...
This is a drainage ditch behind our house that has "run-off" water from the snow melt in it. I didn't post it the most incriminating ones. Jessie was completely naked!

Natalie loves the outside and playing with anything-a new environment.