Post-Christmas Posting

With the addition of a second little person to my family, I find myself playing catch-up most of the time! Catch up on reading, blogging, cleaning, emails....is there an end??

We spent a busy, wonderful Christmas in Albuquerque with my family. My brother, Sean and his wife were there for the holiday as well and we were joined by the Alaskans on the 26th. They have a four month old boy we were excited to meet, Kade. It was a riot to see him next to my little Mallorie; Kade is currently 27 inches and 20 pounds...Mallorie is 25 inches and weighs in just over 14 pounds! It was great to be able to spend time with everyone, though we were missing my third brother, Stuart, who was unable to join us from Ohio.

On the 27th, we were fortunate to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary!! My mom planned for months to get us all together for a family picture (the last one we got was at their 50th anniversary...) and threw a lovely family party in their honor.

They have been through many happy and sad times in those sixty years and it's inspiring to celebrate milestones such as these, especially when I hear of so many marriages not lasting more than a few years. Poor Morgan had the biggest meltdown I've ever seen that afternoon, after the pictures, resulting from having several crazy busy days prior to the party. Chadwick had to head back to Boise that afternoon, and when I returned from the airport I found Mallorie having a similar episode! She's really starting being wary of people she doesn't know, and didn't like seeing my Mom's face when she woke up from her nap. Needless to say, everyone treaded lightly around her when she was waking from naps. =) The girls and I were able to stay with my parents for a total of two weeks which was wonderful. We ate, laughed, played, read stories, ate some more, saw a Broadway musical, and enjoyed the time together as a family. It was hard to leave.

My brother, David and his son Kade

It was a Hello Kitty Christmas this year, note the slippers

Kade, Morgan, Mallorie

My mom used to sit in this chair as a child

Four generations!

Since our return to Boise, we have been trying to stay warm! I don't think it's been above 25 degrees in like 2 weeks! However, the snow hasn't melted yet which is fun. Chadwick hooked Darwin up to the sled last weekend and he pulled Morgan all over the neighborhood. Might as well harness that energy for good use!! Steve gave us an old horse halter that might work as a harness...we're going to test it out this weekend sledding at the cabin.

Morgan continues to make me laugh and keep me on my toes. Mallorie refuses to get on a sleeping schedule at night but is a happy little person and loves her big sister. She laughs easily which melts my heart. I'm still trying to get used to having two kiddos at home full time. And Cleo is mad at the world for making it too cold to play outside.

Blessings

I love this time of year - people remembering their blessings, eating too much food, baking and sharing treats with friends, getting together with family, snowmen, Christmas and all the fun that season brings.....today is house cleaning, tomorrow is decorating!!

My dad flew in from Albuquerque for a week to meet Mallorie and spend time with Morgan and the rest of us. He was gracious enough to sleep on the couch and claimed he slept well each night! I have been wanting to get Morgan a little play kitchen, and since my dad does best with a project and he's good with woodworking, he agreed to build her one for a Christmas present. We snagged the well-laid plans from Becky Graf's website and went to work! The final product turned out super cute; I just have to paint burners on the stove a throw a coat on the back. We got creative with the faucet, knobs, and handles. I'm really pleased with how it looks. Santa and family are helping with the accessories - food, dishes, and aprons. Whee!!

Abuelo, the carpenter

The faucet handles turn!

Morgan getting water to drink from the sink

It was cloudy and rainy all week so we didn't go out much, but there was dancing, book reading, and cuddling with the baby. A good visit overall. For Thanksgiving, we went to my in-law's house for a FEAST! And of course there was chaos with lots of little people running around. After the meal the adults headed out for the corral to have a shooting contest with bows - I'm sad to report that Chadwick and I came in last. James and Jolynn, who own the bows, beat the socks off everyone except Steve. Jolynn promised Nathan that his arm wouldn't get drilled by the arrow, but he still came out of the activity with a huge bruise on his forearm! We lost one arrow in the wood but otherwise it was a success.

Uh, where'd it go??

And here are a few random photos...

Grandpa Steve and MJ

Sleeping with Abuelo

My sweet little M's!

Catching Up on Cuteness

You know you've been texting too much when you wait for the mis-spelled or incomplete words to fix themselves when you hit the space bar.....and a good friend admitted to being on Facebook too long when he found himself looking for the "like" button on an email I'd sent him. Ha!

Halloween was a blur - I opted to nap rather than get us ready for the Trunk or Treat and we missed the social hour. The treating itself was a whirlwind of kids running through the parking lot and then everyone was gone! Morgan, Mallorie, and I were cats. Chadwick was a cowboy. One year soon the girls are going to care about costumes and candy.....

Mallorie is growing up so quickly! Last night I found her staring intently at her hands, slowly moving them around in front of her face with the cutest expression playing at her lips. She smiles readily at Morgan, will coo for me when she's hungry, and enjoys being propped up on the couch or chair to watch the action. And she's been sleeping like a champ at night! Morgan adores her.

And here are a few other random pictures. Morgan with her drawing of herself (the big one) and Mallorie (the smaller picture in the lower right corner). And she helped me make brownies one evening and had a ball licking the spoon. I joined the fun!

So Morgan likes to watch a PBS show entitled "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood." I find it annoying but she seems to get a kick out of it. And the moral of the stories are usually good. One of the episodes has Daniel and his friend upset about something in life not going well and they were mad. Daniel's mom sings this little song about taking a deep breath and counting to four to help calm yourself. Morgan likes this song and will have me sing it to her when she's upset with her blocks. Well, the other day I was upset about something. She asked if I was mad, and when I replied "yes" she sweetly informed me that I should take a deep breath and count to four. "Sing that song, Mom!" When I told Chadwick about the incident, he about fell off the couch laughing! I guess someone is going to help me with my temper....good deal!!

A Name and Blessing

Last Sunday we had the chance to bless Mallorie and were lucky to have Chadwick's Dad, Steve, and brother James with him in the circle. Our good friend Bishop Cox and the current Bishop Woolf completed the circle of priesthood holders around our little girl. Sister Cox and I served together in Young Women and she has become something of an adopted grandma to Morgan and now Mallorie. All of her grandkids are out of state and I think she enjoys having a little person running around the house. Both are amazing people and I love having them in our lives. Sadly for us, they are moving for the winter down to Arizona....snowbirds!

James, Chadwick, Steve, Bishop Cox

Sister Cox

Nana Manwaring and Grandma Fife

We went to the Hunts for a yummy dinner which completed the day. Morgan continues to adore her little sister - asking to hold her, help burp her after nursing, or singing songs when Mallorie is upset. Song of choice? "I Am a Child of God." It's precious and usually helps to calm the little one until I can get there.

Even though I have had more cranky days than not since Mallorie joined the family, I am grateful she is here and blessed to have a priesthood holder in the house who is capable and willing to give a blessing to our sweet girl. I love my little family!

Five Weeks!

As slowly as time seems to creep, I can't believe that Mallorie has been with us for over five weeks now. She really is such a mellow baby - we'll see if she stays that way or if she develops into a fiesty little thing like her older sister. =) I would like to enroll Morgan into some sort of tumbling or gymnastics program this winter/early spring to make use of all the athletic energy she holds. One of her new favorite games? Tackling dad on the couch! "Dad, I tackle you!" she squeals before pouncing, unrestrained, on his head/chest/legs. Darwin is usually in the mix as well...I should get it on video. The cat avoids the chaos at all costs.



Burping her puppy

Recently, Morgan has taken to nursing her dolls or animals while I am nursing Mallorie. She even asked for a burp cloth to place on her shoulder for post-nursing burping - what a good little mom! There is a constant hum of cooking, changing bottoms, putting animals to sleep, or going to school on her bus (backpack in place on her back) going on throughout the day. Her imagination has really taken off! The other day she created a family of kangaroos with her blocks - mom, dad, baby, grandma, and grandpa. The men are, naturally, taller than the women.

Morgan and her kangaroo family

My four little M's!

One of the veterinary assistants from Bench Animal Hospital, a great girl named Megan, brought over some goodies for the girls and I. Morgan received a tiny little doll which happens to be the mini-me version of the doll I bought her when Mallorie was born. Grandma Cindy helped to name the bigger doll Myrtle, so we now have Myrtle and Myrtle Jr. 

And here are some photos of Mallorie recently. She looks like her sister, no?

...and she says...

Several days ago, Morgan was climbing into her high chair for an afternoon snack. In one hand was some yogurt, the other was the spoon she had picked out from the drawer. "Mom," she tells me, "I love gogurt (yogurt)....it's pretty awesome."

She says things like that all the time! It cracks us up. One time she told me that the blocks she was playing with on the floor were not to eat (as they are often food for her animals) but for decoration. Such big words for a little person! And yesterday, she informed Mallorie that her wails were not an inside voice.

This is also a powerful reminder to me that I had better watch what, and how, I say things. They may come back to get me at some near point in the future!!

Welcome, Mallorie!

Wow, I didn't realize that I haven't updated this blog since July....

Since my last post, we have had several adventures! The first was the bi-annual Hunt family reunion, which was held at the Hunt-Campbell cabin in Crouch this year (north of Boise for those not familiar). There was an Olympic theme and Emily had made books for each family member to keep track of the events we each participated in and we got to rate our efforts with different colored stars. For example, there were equestrian activities, basketball, a hike, and markmenship. Despite the lack of hot water in the cabin, stuffy bedrooms upstairs due to the 90+ degree weather, and being over 8 months pregnant myself, we had a blast! I love to spend time with Chadwick's family and Morgan enjoyed playing with her cousins. Her favorite question that weekend? "What's your name?" Poor girl couldn't keep track of everyone!

I spent some time in other clinics at the beginning of August doing relief work and then finished my usual job at Bench Animal Hospital at the end of the month. The last two doctor appointments with my OB demonstrated that this little girl was heads down but apparently in no hurry to continue to drop and there were no signs of my going into labor earlier than my expected due date of Sept 7. My dear husband told me that he had a premonition that I wouldn't deliver until the 15th! The voice inside my head told him where to stick that thought, as I had no desire to go so much later than expected!!

Because children, from the beginning, have their own agenda, I started having contractions the night of the 1st - I was restless at the time I went to bed and awoke at 3 am feeling some back labor. Not sure if this was the "real" thing, I dusted the house, swept the living room and kitchen, wiped out the fridge, and finally woke Chadwick up at 4 am. After some debate, we made a call to his mom and made the journey to the hospital. The staff let us sit in the room stewing for a while and when they checked, I was only dilated to a 3. The nurse had me walk for an hour to see what progressed, and by 6 am I was at a 4! They finally took us seriously and admitted us. Let the baby come!! Or not. I continued to have contractions at regular intervals for the next, oh, 12 hours. Chadwick ordered lunch, then dinner, fed me some jello (the best I had ever tasted, might I add), juice, and tried to keep himself occupied by watching tv and playing chess on the laptop. Prior to the start of the contractions, I had made the decision to have this baby naturally and without an epidural. So I breathed, tried to relax, and find a comfortable position throughout the day. By 8 pm on Sunday, the doctor broke my water and we thought "Sweet! Now things will start moving a little faster!" Or not. The contractions became intense, and despite the urge to push, I had to wait until 1 am before getting the green light. Come to find out, she was mostly face up, which means she wasn't coming easily and I pushed hard for 2 hours before being rewarded with our beautiful little Mallorie!

Her stats: Mallorie Jackson Hunt. Born Sept 3 at 2:43 am. Weighing in at 6 pounds 13 ounces, measuring 20 inches.

Mallorie in her isolette

Tired, new parents!

She was wide awake at birth, but having increased effort while breathing and she sounded kind of wheezy, which didn't make the nurses happy. They took her to NICU for monitoring and a chest x-ray - she had some air outside her lungs on the left side which can be fairly common in these little newborns. Chadwick and I visited her briefly after they finished with me and then we got a few hours of sleep. We spoke with the doctor in NICU Monday morning and she wanted to keep her for observation for 24 hours. Um, okay. Fast forward 24 hours, and Mallorie still hadn't produced any urine despite an IV fluid bolus, so they hooked her up to a constant rate infusion via IV catheter and kept her another 24 hours. Mom and I spent the night at the hospital Monday night and I hung out Tuesday, going up to NICU every 3 hours to nurse my baby. I was discharged Tuesday, Mallorie finally came home Wednesday.

Side story - my mom and Mark drove up from NM and arrived in Boise Monday afternoon. Chadwick had to work Tuesday, so Morgan was with Grandma and Grandpa Graham. She was super cranky Tuesday morning (not surprising given that her schedule was all off) but she developed a fever later that afternoon. And continued to have a fever despite Tylenol. When I got home from the hospital that evening, she had an armpit temp of over 102. Chadwick and I turned right around and took her to the urgent care down the street 10 minutes before they closed. And I was starving, by the way, so Mark brought my hamburger and fries to the clinic....Morgan checked out clean and had a fever of unknown origin, but they recommended Advil over the Tylenol. Within 40 minutes of Advil, Morgan was cool, eating dinner, and acting like her old self. For the next three days, as long as she didn't miss a dose of Advil, she was fine. Miss a dose and the fever was back with a vengence. She wound up with an ear infection and since being placed on antibiotics has had no trouble.


Morgan and Mallorie

Life is full of unexpected challenges and surprises! We are so grateful to our parents for their support and hard work the whole first week after Mallorie's birth. There is no way I could have managed on my own without their help. We are blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!