Kindergarten Grad

We did it!  First year of public school is in the books!

I was nervous about Will starting school.  It was a first for us as parents, and you never know how your child is going to handle it- you never know how YOU are going to handle it.  I must say that we loved every minute!

Will had Mrs. Stanley this year.  She is Fancy Nancy come to life, and I don't think I could have hand picked a better teacher for our smart boy.  She challenged him, and best of all, she loved him.  That was all he needed for his first year.

Will is now our front tooth wigglin', chapter book reading, Kindergarten Grad!  We are so proud of you, Will!

PS- We've reached the stage of the awkward smile.  When do they grow out of this?  19?

Gotcha!!!

Heber Valley Memorial Run

Our friends, the Drapers, organized a race in rememberance of their family members that they lost last year in a tragic accident- Val, Kathy and Quincy.  I ran the 5K, and then Annie and Will ran the kid's race (Quincy's crazy mile).

I always hope that when my kids see me run and exercise that it will encourage them to do the same.  I don't care if they run, but I do want them to live an active lifestyle.  It is an extra treat for me, however, when I do get to share my passion with my kids.

I pushed my hardest and got a new post-pregnancy PR- 5K with a 7:57 average pace.  It was fun because I got to run with Mindy for most of the race.

Will took off sprinting in the kids race.  Since he's big now I just let him run the entire thing alone.  My friend told me he finished in the top 20 kids.  He's a speedy little guy!

And Annie!  I AM SO PROUD OF ANNIE.  My three year old RAN the ENTIRE mile long race.  She didn't take a single walk break!  When we were going to leave for the race she said, "Mom, I'm so glad I get to be your running buddy!"

I have a feeling we're going to be running buddies for a very long time.

I am thankful for EARS!

Sunbeams is the best.

Discoveries

At six weeks we're still learning a lot about our little Paige.  As she discovers the world, we discover her.  Much to my chagrin, my darling doll prefers to kick around on the floor or in her swing as opposed to my arms.  If she's sleepy, she doesn't mind being held, but if she's awake she likes to have her space.

Paige likes to stretch out and prefers a big soft blanket as opposed to being swaddled.

She blows bubbles.

She smiles!  I *kind of* caught one with the camera the other day.  I can't wait to capture one for real so I can treasure how her face lit up when she was small!

And I might be assuming this, but she loves Finer Things Club, her best buddy Leah, and her Aunt Whitney.

Best Buddies

You hear people say that you should have your kids close together so that they'll play together and be best friends.  For me, this hasn't been the case.  Will and Annie are nearly three years apart, and they are definitely the best of friends.  Oftentimes I forget that my kids should have play dates with other kids because they already play so well with each other.

Dallas and I are best friends with our siblings, and I'm so grateful that my kids have that same opportunity.  Seeing them play together always makes me smile.

PS- Annie learned to pump!

Here Comes the Sun

Have you ever noticed how Mother's Day is always a beautiful sunny day?  Heavenly Father must love mothers.

A Mother's Song

On the wall in the maternity ward at the Heber Valley Medical Center it says, "Isn't it a miracle that every mother has the most beautiful baby in the world."  I love that.  There is nothing more precious to me than Will, Annie and Paige's sweet angel faces.

I feel very humbled that my Father in Heaven has trusted me with three of His precious children.  Knowing this, I can also see how much faith He must have in me.  This gives me such strength and courage on those days when I feel like I'm not good enough.

Mother's Day doesn't feel like a day that I should be celebrated.  Quite the opposite- I feel like I should celebrate them. 

My heart is like a fountain true

that flows and flows with love to you

as chirps the lark unto the tree

so chirps my pretty babe to me 

There is not a rose wherever I seek

as comely as my baby's cheek

there's not a comb of honey bee

so full of sweets as babe to me

There's not a star that shines on high

is brighter than my baby's eye

There's not a boat upon the sea

can dance as baby does to me

No silk was ever spun so fine

as is the hair of baby mine

My baby smells more sweet to me

than smells in spring the elder tree

A little fish swims in the well

So in my heart does baby dwell 

A little flower blows on the tree 

My baby is the flower to me

Ten thousand parks where deer do run

Ten thousand roses in the sun

Ten thousand pearls beneath the sea

my babe more precious is to me.

-Sabine Baring-Gould

Success!

 We haven't had the best of luck with sports.  Will is an introvert as well as a perfectionist which means he doesn't like attention, and especially hates it when he makes mistakes and people are paying attention.  He felt more comfortable playing soccer this season because he had more experience, and his good buddy Ayden Sparks was also on the team.

The first game was frightful (crying tantrum and ended up leaving the game early), but after that it was pretty smooth sailing.  He's turned into a pretty good soccer player!  He made goals during every game, and even better than that, he managed to play with a good attitude and HAVE FUN!

Dallas and I were actually sad that the season ended.  We've enjoyed sitting with the sun on our faces and cheering for our big boy.  See you in the fall "Soccer King"!

Poor Paige

We've been dealing with sick kids for the past couple of weeks.  With runny noses, coughs, croup, fevers and hives- we've had our fair share.  We tried our hardest to keep the other kids away from Paige, but with a three year old big sister, this was nearly impossible.

On Saturday I noticed that Paige wasn't feeling very well.  She wasn't eating as well as she normally did, she was congested, and then that evening she started to cough.  I braced myself for a sick infant, but I didn't realize how badly she would get.

The next day was her blessing day.  We had lots of family in town, and they all took turns holding the baby.  I hardly even got to see her, let alone hold her.  When I finally got to feed her that afternoon, I was able to see how her sickness had progressed.  I felt that we needed to take her to the hospital, so Mark and Dallas gave her a blessing and off we went.

Since Paige was only 31 days old, they took things pretty seriously.  She had a cough, a fever of 101.2, an ear infection, and she was listless and dehydrated.  The doctor felt it was important that we go to Primary Children's Hospital.  Before we knew it I was being loaded up into an ambulance with my sweet baby and we were headed down the canyon.

It was all a whirlwind!  After being given some tylenol and some fluids through an IV, Paige was alert for the first time in about 2 days.  At Primary Children's they did a Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap) to check for Meningitis, a nasal swab, drew blood for labs, started another IV (she had one in each arm), gave her a catheter in order to collect a urine sample, and took her vital signs and temperature more times than I can count.

When all was said and done, Paige was diagnosed with an ear infection and Parainfluenza Virus- something that is no big deal in adults, but can cause problems in small infants because of their tiny airways.  Her symptoms included:

• Fever
• Congestion
• Cough
• Ear Infection
• Listlessness
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Dehydration
• Weight loss- At the doctor's office last Thursday they weighed her and she was 9 lbs.  By the time they discharged us on Monday, Paige weighed 8 lbs 7 oz.  That's a big weight loss for such a little baby!

They gave her an antibiotic intravenously and hooked her up to monitors so they could watch her breathing and oxygen levels.  They also performed a deep suction so that they could clear her out and allow her to breathe and eat better.  That night was a rough night.  Lots of coughing, her fever came back, and the monitors were constantly going off because she was holding her breath and her oxygen levels were too low.  They had her on oxygen for a little while, but were able to take her off of it fairly quickly.

By the morning her fever had broken and she had her appetite back!  It made all the difference in the world.  In the morning we were talking about staying another day, but by that afternoon she was doing so much better that we were confident in taking her home that night.

We were discharged at 10PM on Monday night- 32 hours after we took her to the ER in Heber.

Today we took her to her follow up exam.  I knew she still wasn't feeling well because she has been crying and fussing so much.  She also hasn't been sleeping at night- which is a huge change when she normally has been sleeping from 10:30 until about 5:30 every night.  Turns out her ear infection had progressed and ruptured her ear drum!  Now that she is on antibiotics for that, we have already seen a big difference in how she feels.

It has been so sad to watch her be so sick.  I've never had a baby this young be sick before and I hope I never do again!  We're so grateful that we could take her to a place that she could receive such excellent care.  My poor baby.

Blessed

Paige Abigail Nicoll, On Sunday, May 5th, your father, as well as your Grandpas and uncles, gave you a Priesthood blessing.

He blessed you with a sound body and mind; that you would put those things into your mind and body that would be good for you and would help strengthen you.  

He reminded you of your family and friends who will always be there to support and strengthen you.  

He blessed you that you would always remember that your Father in Heaven loves you, and as you go through trials in your life you will be able to lean on that knowledge.  

We love you, Paige.  We are so incredibly blessed to have your spirit in our home.

One Month

Paige is already one month old!  She has been the best baby.  She often goes 7 hours between feedings at night; with all that extra sleep I've been able to transition to three kids so much easier than I did with my first or second.  It's been life as usual since she was about 5 days old.  I wish I could have taken this whole month off just to hold and enjoy her, but with two other cute kids in the house to split attention with, that just doesn't happen.

At the doctor's office at 4 weeks Paige weighed 9 lbs already.  She may have started off small, but she's sure catching up quickly.  She is such a good little eater and I think that's why she has been so content.  She hardly cries except during diaper changes and when she's getting lotioned up for the day.  We've been able to see a couple of smiles and can't wait until they brighten her face (and ours!) more regularly.

A fun thing that I love is how content she is around Will.  He is always so soft and gentle with her, and she will just snuggle right up to him.  I don't think she has ever fussed when he has been holding her!  It is so fun to see.

Every day I feel so grateful to be the mother of this perfect little girl.  I adore my darling new daughter.

To celebrate Paige's one month birthday I ran a 5K today!  It was my first race since June of last year.  I ended up with a time of 24:44- an 8:25 pace, and was the 4th female to cross the finish line.  Although it is nowhere close to my old times, it made me happy.  I look forward to getting my speed and endurance back and setting new goals for the future.