Easter 2010

So, my Easter plans didn't go as planned. This year will be memorable, with the birth of Tyler. But it didn't lend itself to developing the holiday traditions I had hoped fur. As I have mentioned before, I want to start holiday traditions so Michael will have some of the fun memories of holidays that I have from my childhood. We didn't get a chance to hide the Easter eggs we dyed or wear the Easter outfits I had purchased, but Michael did still get to participate in some Easter activities. Since Greg and I were at the hospital, our wonderful neighbors from across the street, the Millins, had Michael over for their Easter Egg Hunt. They went all out and had over 50 eggs! Michael found the last egg after everyone had been looking for 15 minutes!

Michael with his PINK Easter Basket

(Christy said he picked it out! Go figure!)

Michael modeling his Easter outfit

(looks pretty cool huh?)


Michael and Daddy before church in their Easter clothes

(Taken on another Sunday)

Welcome Tyler!

We welcomed Tyler to this world at 4:12 am on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010. What a surprise that was! It shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, it was just 9 days before my due date. But since Michael had come the day before his due date, I was sure Tyler would follow suit. Plus, my mom wasn't here yet and I still had some loose ends to tie up at work.

Saturday had been a busy day. We had been running errands around town and planning for Easter. As I mentioned in the post below, we had been dyeing Easter eggs and while I was cleaning up, I felt some contractions. This was not abnormal for me. I had been having contractions forever. I finished cleaning up and then sat on the floor to play with Michael. Then I had a contraction that got my attention and I thought, hmm, perhaps I should time these. They were coming every 7 minutes!! But I thought, no, this isn't happening. They don't hurt, plus my due date isn't for a few more days. I started to get Michael ready for bed, and they kept coming. Greg came home while I was getting Michael ready for bed and I told him that we might be having a baby tonight! He was so excited, but I had the anxious feeling...it wasn't suppose to be happening yet. My mom wasn't here, who was going to stay with Michael... Then I looked at Michael, he was being so cute and happy and I thought, "oh no! What am I doing to Michael?" His whole life is about the change and I felt so guilty. (Funny that I had this guilt now and not when I found out that I was pregnant!) I always sing to Michael before bed and while I was singing, I started to cry. I could barely get the words out. He was so sweet and asked if I was okay. I told him that I was and that I loved him very much. Then I told him that his baby brother would be here soon. After we got Michael in bed, Greg and I decided that we needed to make plans on who would stay with Michael if we did indeed go to the hospital. The contractions still didn't hurt, but they were coming every 5 minutes, but I still wasn't convinced that I was in actual labor. We decided to call Maria Hernandez to come stay the night, just in case. Maria had been on the women's golf team the year before and had become a good friend of our family. Michael adores her, so I knew that he would be okay if he woke up the next morning and only Maria was there. She got to our house around 10:00 pm and Greg told me that he thought I should at least call the doctor and go to the hospital. I still wasn't convinced, since the contractions didn't hurt like they did with Michael. Greg finally convinced me and I and finally called. The doctor told me to head over the hospital to be checked. We got to the hospital around 11:00 pm. They checked me and I was around 3 cm dilated and my contractions were consistent. They admitted me around 12:00 am. Once I got settled in, I decided I wanted to get the epidural. I was still handling the contractions very well, but I didn't want to go too far and then run out of time and not be able to get the epidural. So, I got the epidural when I was around 6-7 cms. The doctor said she thought I was a great candidate to have a natural child birth, since I was handling them so well. But I knew better! I knew it would get worse and I didn't want to try it! The nurse noticed that the baby's heart rate kept dropping with each contraction, so she checked me to see where I was and I was at 10 cms. She called the doctor, he came in and I pushed twice and Tyler was born! He was 7 lbs 6 ozs and 19 inches long. He had pink skin and reddish, blond hair, and as sweet as could be!! The Easter Bunny was extra kind to us this year!

Weighing In at 7 lbs 6 ounces

"Where am I?"

Clean and Warm

I look so tired in this picture. I would like to say that is was because I just delivered a baby, but I don't think having an epidural and pushing twice qualifies as "hard labor"! But it was 4:00 am!

Big brother seeing Ty-man for the first time. Nice to see he was welcomed with kisses instead of pinches! (unfortunately, the newness has worn off and Tyler is sometimes the victim of Michael's temper tantrums!)

My boys!

Michael looked HUGE compared to Tyler. It was as if he grew a ton over night!

Maria (our trusted babysitter) and Tyler

Going Home

(So if Tyler is in the car seat, why do I still look pregnant?)

A Proud Big Brother!

A Proud Daddy!

Grammy arrived the day we went home from the hospital. Thank goodness we were not on our own for too long!

I love this picture! Greg was taking a picture of me and Tyler and Michael popped up in the back, with a binky in his mouth!!! The identity crisis begins!! Michael still (5 months later) likes to play like he is Tyler. He likes me to wrap him up, pretend to feed and burp him! We also have to call him Tyler!

Proud Mama and her Baby!!

Easter Eggs and "OUCH", What was that, a contraction?

This year I made a commitment to begin traditions with Michael so that he would have some of the same fond memories of holidays that I had as a child. Easter egg dyeing was one of those and I knew that he would love it. So, the Saturday before Easter, we headed to the store, bought a dozen eggs and some dye. Below is our product. Michael and I were both very proud.

Afterward, I was cleaning up and started to feel a few contractions. Very normal for me, I had contractions starting at week 26 and felt them all of the time. Nothing to worry about. My due date wasn't for another 9 days, my mom would be here the following Tuesday. I told myself to just relax and Greg would be home soon.

Fast forward 8 hours and....

Making Room for Baby Brother

There are several milestones we look forward to as parents...our baby's first smile, rolling over, eating solid food, crawling, walking, talking. As parents we celebrate these accomplishments and compare when our children reach these milestones to other children; and when our children reach them before other children, we know it is because our kids are smarter, brighter, and more talented. (come on admit it, we all think that!) :) But there is one milestone that I think most parents face with trepidation and put it off as long a possible...moving their child from a crib to a bed! Yep, say goodbye to your evenings after the kids go to bed, and say hello to your little nightly and early morning visitor! Well, with the arrival of a new baby and the need for the crib, we decided to move Michael to his "Big Boy" bed in February. We wanted to do it early enough that he would be adapted to his new bed and no longer consider the crib his and accuse the baby of taking over. All in all, it went pretty smoothly. Although, Michael is up much later now that he can leave his bed, and he has wandered into our room every morning, sometime between 5:45 and 8:00, depending on what time he went to bed and the amount of light coming in his room in the morning. Anyway, this milestone has been met!

Michael proudly showing off his "Big Boy" bed

Now we have taken the rails down and this is what his new room looks like.

After we finished redoing Michael's room, it was time to set up a new nursery. Thanks to my Mom and Sydnee who came to do all of the labor, I think Tyler's room came together very nicely. I chose a surfer theme, in hope that this new baby would be laid back and take things as they came. (very prophetic I must say!)