Best present ever

I just have a quick minute to update our blog. Jayden is home from the hospital. He came home on Christmas Eve. It was the best present ever. We are all trying to readjust to having a newborn in the house.  

Our past few weeks have been pretty crazy. In fact Saturday December 20th David ended up in the hospital as well. He had kidney stones and went to the ER. He was then admitted to the hospital and they were debating whether to do surgery or not. Luckily he passed it and surgery wasn't needed. He was admitted to the hospital we were just transferred from. So David and Jayden were both in the hospital but at different hospitals. I am so glad my mom was here to watch the kids. Well thats about all the time I have. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and have a happy new year!!!

Jayden update

So it looks like Jayden will be in the hospital until Christmas or the day after. He is doing better it is just their policy that they stay for 7 days for antibiotics. I am pretty upset. Not to the fact that he needs antibiotics but the fact that the first doctor we saw when we were admitted here after the transfer told me that best case scenario is 2 days. So we had been hoping that today we could go home. For the past two days we were told lets get him off oxygen so he can go home. He was doing really well today and another doctor came in and when david asked when he can go home she said oh not until 7 days after antiobiotics have started. That would be the day after Christmas. She said that maybe we could go home a day early because its Christmas. I just wish the first doctor would have told us to expect a week and not two days.

I am not too fond of this hospital. It is a childrens hospital and I thought it would be a little better than it is. First of all you have to pay for parking. What kind of hospital makes you pay to be there. I think its ridiculous because they don't even have any short term or emergency parking or anything. It is $5 whether you are there for 1 minute or 8 hours. That is a little much when you are just switching places with your spouse. There are many other things I am not fond with but I won't go into detail.

I am sad that my mom couldn't stay any longer. We just didn't get enough time together. She heads back to Idaho in the morning. It was so nice to have her here and to have her help though. THANK YOU MOM!!!!

So for now we are hoping to be home for Christmas. We have been in the hospital for 1 week which means Jayden has been in a hospital for 10 days out of his 18 day old life. He's my little trooper. As we speak he is off of oxygen. David has been taking him off little by little and having to put him back on and off throughout the day and it paid off. His cannula is now out of his nose and his oxygen levels are 99-100. Great job Jayden!!!Hopefully he doesn't have to be put back on tonight. It is so nice to see his face without stickers and tubes.

Grandma, McKaila and Jayden

In this picture McKaila and Kameron were talking about Jaydens toes. McKaila looks so tiny compared to Kameron. Its just the way he's sitting though (although he does weigh as much as she does if not more).

McKaila really loves Jayden. She was so sweet with him today. This is her first time holding him since she first held him the day he was born. When I was burping him McKaila said "Mommy Jayden has hair on his back".

McKaila said another funny tonight while holding Jayden. Her exact words were "Jayden has monster hair".

Making Cookies with Grandma

I took a break from the hospital today and David sat with Jayden for a couple of hours. My mom leaves tomorrow morning and I wanted to be able to spend some time together before she had to leave. I had a blast with her today. We didn't do much, we decided to make cut out cookies and cupcakes with the kids. The cut out cookies were a little crazy so I am glad my mom was there and I didn't try this task by myself. Kameron was rolling flour all over the place and McKaila was shoving the cookie cutters into the middle of the dough which made it impossible to get multiple cookies at one time. It was a lot of fun and we brought some of our treats to the nurses at the hospital taking care of our sweet Jayden.

Kameron added the sugar and then decided the bowl made a better hat.

Kameron was supposed to be adding the vanilla and almond extract but he thought he was supposed to drink it. This is a picture of him trying to get it to his mouth. Everytime we tried to .get him to pour it he would try and drink it. Silly boy.

McKaila got to add the eggs.

McKaila and her Grandma. McKaila was laughing in this picture if you couldn't tell.

McKaila enjoying the spoon from stirring the cookie dough.

Kameron enjoying the cookie dough.

Here are the cupcakes McKaila sprinkled while Kameron finished his nap. As you can see some recieved more sprinkles than others :)

McKaila's new pout

McKaila is quite the character and whenever she gets upset this is what look she gives us.

I am sure I have given my parents this look many times growing up. The funny thing is she wasn't even mad. In fact 2 seconds later she looked like this...

Jayden is in the hospital.

Our poor little Jayden is currently in the Childrens Hospital. We were admitted to Potomac Hospital on Sunday after I took him to the ER. He had been having some mucus issues on Friday and then he started coughing. I thought he had whatever McKaila and Kameron had so I was going to call the pediatrician on Monday and see if he could get us in. On Sunday afternoon during our naps my mom came up with Jayden and said she noticed he felt warm and he had been coughing a lot more than before. We took his temp and it was 100.4. I knew that anything above 100 was bad in a newborn so I took him straight to the ER. With babies this little they do a full work up on them when they have a fever. People starting coming in all at once. He had a catheter placed quickly to do a sterile urine lab, he had a chest x-ray, RSV/whooping cough test (where the shove a q-tip up their nose) an IV placed (which took 2 attempts) and blood drawn from his arm. The tests came back showing that Jayden is RSV positive. McKaila and Kameron more than likely had RSV and that is where Jayden got it from. I also have RSV now but it is just like a cold for adults. In younger children it is worse and it is very bad in newborns.

We were transferred to a Childrens Hospital by ambulance yesterday because we have discovered Jayden now has pneumonia as well as RSV and bronchiolitis. They moved us here so they could take better care of him if he were to get worse. Around 2 this morning they did a lumbar puncture on my brave little boy to rule out meningitis. We'll know the results of that in 48 hours or so. The doctor has said that best case scenario we are out in two days. That puts us out on Sunday making his total hospital stay 1 week.

My mom is in town visiting and leaves on Monday. I am so glad that she is here. She has been such a huge help. She has been taking care of the house and the kids. David has been busy with work and helping at the hospital. My mom has been a huge lifesaver. I don't even know how to begin to thank her for what she's done. I am sad that we haven't been able to spend that much time together. Yesterday we did get to hang out for a few hours. David stayed at the hospital with Jayden and my mom and I took the kids and went to the National Mall and went to a couple museums. The kids were acting up and we needed to get back to the hospital so it didn't last too long but I am grateful I was able to spend some time with my mom. I love her so much and I am glad she was able to come out.

I am hoping the antibiotics will help Jayden out and we will be home soon. I just want to be at home with my husband and kids and to not have any tubes/wires hooked up to my baby. I want to be able to spend more time with my mom before she leaves. Atleast one more day. That is what I want for Christmas.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas

Jayden is here.

So after complaining so much :) Jayden has arrived. It was quite a shock to us all. The doc. said he didn't think I would go into labor that night (Tuesday) and I was quite sad. Well on Wednesday morning around 4 a.m. my water broke. David and I got to the hospital around 5:30 a.m. after making sure the kids were taken care of. The nurse was having a hard time confirming my water did indeed break. After being there for an hour she finally got my IV started and I was able to request my epidural. I was in tons of pain and the anesthesiologist was wonderful. I was expecting to feel a lot of pressure when he put in the epidural because that was my experience with my other two. Well this guy was so good I barely even felt the numbing medicine in the beginning. I was 5 cm and the contractions were doing their job and I was progressing nicely. Soon I was 8 cm and shortly after I was ready to push. 

After 5 contractions Jayden Kooper Lee was born. He was born at 12:06 p.m weighing 9 lbs 1 oz. and measuring 20 3/4 inches long. He was almost 2 weeks early and a big boy. He has a head full of hair and he is so cute. He is a little jaundice so we need to take him into the pediatrician on Monday. He has lost a little weight and is 8 lbs 6 oz now. He is such a little chunk and we are enjoying every minute of him. McKaila and Kameron have a cold so we are trying to limit their contact with him. It is hard for McKaila because she is so excited he is here and she wants to hold him all the time. Hopefully they'll et better soon. Enjoy the pictures.

Still no baby :(

I had a doctors appointment this morning and no baby today. I am now 2 cm dilated but Jayden is still too high for the doctor to help things along. He said if I wanted to though I could be induced this weekend. My body is ready for that and things should go smoothly. Well I told him to have the hospital call me to schedule a date. They still haven't called but I've changed my mind. I was going to be induced this weekend but then decided I'll just wait till the next week when my mom gets here. So my mom flies in next Wednesday and I'll hopefully be induced Wednesday night or Thursday if possible. I am really hoping they can do it Wednesday night. That way the kids will be sleeping and won't really notice we're gone. Its easier for someone to watch them while they are sleeping. My mom doesn't come in till around 4:30 pm. I can't wait for her to be here. Well that is the latest on the baby watch. 

Depressed

Not much change at the doctors today. I am not a finger dilated. In one week I went from a fingertip to a finger. Not much change. I was really hoping that I would be more ready for the doctor to rupture my membranes but I guess this baby has other plans. The doc. said there are more options next week and that he thinks I'll be ready next week. I'm trying to not get hopeful. 

A fingertip

Yup, thats all I am dilated. A flippin fingertip. I was really hoping for more progress than that. Last night I had a dream I was 3 cm and 80 % effaced.  The doctors appointment went well overall. The first thing the doctor noticed when he came in was my feet. He said my feet look like pregnant lady feet. My blood pressure was good and I didn't gain any weight this week. That made me happy. 

The doctor started to feel the position of the baby and asked me how big my last baby was. I told him my last baby 8 lbs 10 oz and the doctor said it looks like it'll be that way or even bigger this time. He said you want to have a 12 lb turkey and not a 12 lb baby. So next week if I am dilated more and my body is more "favorable" he'll strip my membranes and try to get things going. I am 36 weeks and 3 days today.  David still doesn't think Jayden is that big but I think otherwise. David's guess is Jayden will weigh 7 lbs 11 oz. My guess is about 9 lbs 4 oz if I go full term. My mom doesn't come in till the 10th of Dec. That is my main worry about when Jayden decides make his big debut. She comes in 5 days before my due date but I don't know if my doc. will want me to wait that long. The longer I wait the bigger baby gets and the bigger possibility of a c-section due to size. I don't know what'll happen. I am trying to put it in the back of my mind until next Wednesday. Thats when the doc. says we'll re-evaluate and just go from there. I'll update again when I know more. 

I know, I know

I am sorry it has been a long time since I have updated our blog. Hopefully I am all caught up now. Things are moving along in the Lee household. We are all keeping busy and we are excited for the holidays just around the corner. I have been trying to get stuff done for Christmas now so I have less to worry about when the time is here. 

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and everything is going well. As of today I am 35 weeks 4 days. Some days seem to fly by and others seem to drag on and on. My placenta has moved now and is in the right position for a normal delivery. I am no longer measuring big but I am measuring right on target. I told the doctor yesterday I was concerned about having a large baby because Kameron was 8 lbs 10 oz. She told me she didn't think he would be a big baby and def. didn't think he'd be bigger than 9 lbs. I don't believe her necessarily because there is no way to tell right now. My doctor thought Kameron would only be 7 1/2 lbs and he was almost 9 lbs. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Jayden is finally head down. I hope he stays that way. He has been really stubborn and finally flipped about 2 weeks ago. At my last appt. the doctor thought he was head down but wasn't positive. This week they said he is definitely head down. 

Only a few more weeks left. Next week they start doing exams and check for dilation. 

My mom fly's in on the 9th of December and I am so excited to see her. We are hoping to be able to do things around DC while she is here. With the last two babies I have healed pretty quickly after giving birth. I am hoping that will also be the case with this delivery. I am hoping for a great delivery and no c-section. David and I were talking the other day and I was telling him how I am just now realizing I have to deliver the baby. I have been thinking about when he gets here but now how he is going to get here. I am sure everything will be just fine ( I hope). McKaila's labor was long and the epidural didn't work at the end. Kamerons labor was almost half of what Kaila's was and the epidural was great and the delivery was almost painless. Who knows what will happen his time. David was surprised I was just now thinking of this. I am worried about what to do with the kids as well. Not knowing when you are going into labor makes it tough for planning sitters for the kids. I do have someone for the day but not the night yet. YIKES!!!! 

McKaila and Kameron are getting so big I can't stand it. Kameron is saying so many more words now. He loves to put his dishes in the sink and loves throwing things away. McKaila is no longer taking naps :( It is something I hoped she wouldn't give up for a long time but I knew it would happen eventually. For the last few weeks she just sits up in bed and reads books. She'll keep quite for about a half hour and then she starts singing and talking loudly. Eventually it wakes Kameron up and he won't get as good of a nap. So I have started just keeping her downstairs now and we work on letters and whatever else she will sit and learn about. I could put her in her room for the half hour she's quiet but that requires a diaper and a change of clothes. She is so weird sometimes. She is completely potty trained except for at night. She usually doesn't even pee in her diaper but we have it on her because occasionally she does. Well for nap time she WILL NOT go to sleep if she doesn't have a diaper on and her pajamas on. Can we say OCD? I have tried explaining she doesn't need a diaper for naptime but she will whine and cry and complain until she gets that diaper on and she never pee's during naptime. She'll always tell me when she needs to go. I have a weird daughter I guess. I guess I should get up and clean now. Enjoy all the pictures.

Pictures

Here are a couple recent pictures of the kids. They are growing so fast. 

Kameron is such a goof ball. This picture shows off his personality so well. David had Tuesday off for the holiday so we drove out to Buena Vista (where David went to college). We left early in the morning and that is why Kameron is in his pajamas at a rest stop.

Kameron wasn't too thrilled. He was having a really hard time pushing the fire truck through the leaves.

David and I really needed to rake the leaves outside and we thought it would be a great picture opportunity.  I love this picture because she looks like she is telling the leaves off. 

They had face painting at a fall festival here in our little town. McKaila really wanted a butterfly so we waited in line for almost an hour. This lady did a really good job. McKaila listened really well and even picked the colors for her butterfly.

The finished product. My beautiful butterfly.

National Forest

Here are just a few pictures before it started to turn cold. I know they are really late but better late than never right? This was on one of our many trips to the National Forest that is really close to our house. The kids had a blast just running around and looking for squirrels. 

What a stud.

We were on a walk at the National Forest. This was too cute to not take a picture of it.

McKaila running down a hill. This girl loves to run.

This is such a cute picture of McKaila and Kameron.

Halloween

Here are a few pictures of the kids on Halloween this year. We went trick-or-treating to a few houses on our street and then headed to our church for the ward trunk-or-treat. McKaila was a monkey and Kameron was a chicken. They did really well with keeping the candy in there buckets. On occasion they just wanted to sit down and enjoy some of their hard work. I was surprised with how much candy they ended up with at the end of the night. When McKaila woke up the next morning the first thing she said was "I stayed in my bed, I get candy." Not a "good morning mom" or anything else.  A while ago we were having issues with nap time and she was told that if she stayed in bed and took a nap she could have a snack when she woke up. Now that snack has become candy according to Kaila. She learned quickly though it doesn't work that way. Enjoy the pictures. We had a blast.

When he would walk his little but would shake. It was adorable.

McKaila and Kameron sitting in the leaves. 

McKaila was putting leaves inside her bucket.

McKaila enjoying some homemade rootbeer at the ward trunk or treat.

Cox Farms

I know this is a little late but I am now finding the time to post things and hopefully catch up. David was off of work early one day so we decided to take the kids to Cox Farms. This is a giant pumpkin patch complete with hay rides, slides, apples and cider, and finally a pumpkin at the end. The kids had such a blast going down all of the slides. David and I even enjoyed ourselves. It was the best and biggest pumpkin patch we've ever been to. Enjoy the pictures.

They loved seeing the piggies. 

Kameron milking a cow.

You can't see it too well but they are petting a calf. I thought this was too cute not to post. 

Kameron had so much fun climbing the haystacks. They had this huge fenced area of hay stacked up. Don't worry it was all tied down so it wouldn't fall over.

This picture reminds me so much of my dad. He always puts his tongue out like this when concentrating. Kameron seems to do it all the time now. 

McKaila trying a cider apple. She didn't like it very much.

Kameron and daddy on the hay ride. Kameron did have a fun time despite the look on his face.

Kameron enjoying the slide.

McKaila loves this slide. She probably went down it about 6 times before we made her move on to other slides.

Looks like McKaila wasn't the only one who enjoyed the slide.

She was trying to hard to get up on the tractor by herself.

Maternity Photos

We all decided to head out to the national forest near our house for a maternity photo shoot. I think David did a great job. The kids had a blast. We parked the van and continued our walk down this large path and then took a smaller path through the trees. McKaila and Kameron did amazing. They walked the whole time. They loved finding branches and nuts for our friend Chippy. Chippy is the squirrel we always see in our front yard. McKaila thinks he's the coolest thing and when we get home from somewhere she says "Chippy, we're home." She loves Chippy and she was trying to find him some friends in the forest today. Along her walk she found some nuts and told us that she found food for Chippy. I hope we can go to the forest a lot more before winter hits. It is definitely getting chilly around here. It is probably time to pack up shorts and sandels for everyone. Enjoy the pictures.