Update and Random Pictures

Well it's always a little stunning the extent to which life marches on regardless of life altering events. There's just no way to freeze time and ultimately I think that is usually a good thing, or at least the healthy thing, but it does make me sad to know that this amazing newborn time is going to be gone in 2 seconds. As soon as I turn around he'll be 3. Sigh.


Brennan is juggling a sleep deprived wife, 5 kids, work and golf quite well and all on about as little sleep as me being on Ben duty. Benny hasn't slept well since he broke his leg it itches him a lot at night and if he naps he's just not tired until late at night. I guess not being as physically active makes a big difference on how much sleep he needs. Saturday Brennan stayed with all the kids including the baby so I could have a few hours to run errands all by my self! It was wonderful. I'm so grateful he works so hard to take care of all of us. We love Brennan.


I am doing well, I feel strong but tired. I just love my sweet Joshua. He's been a little fussy the last few days, but still not terrible and I can usually hold him in a certain way and he calms right down. People have been asking me if I'm feeling the craziness of 5 kids and honestly it's not so much the fact that there are 5 for now, it's more the newborn thing. Feeding the baby and several others needing me too, or trying to make dinner or shower when Joshua decides he really needs to be held by Mama and only Mama -- that kind of thing. As difficult as it can be, it's also amazing. There's just something so peaceful about a baby so fresh from heaven. The other morning he was awake early so Brennan took him so I could sleep in a little. When Brennan had to leave for work he put Joshua next to me on our bed and I awoke to his little noises and his big dark eyes staring up at me. Ahhhhh, there's just nothing like it.


Anna has been my life-saver. She is so competent and willing to take care of baby so I can attend to Ben or make a meal or take a shower. It's truly a luxury to have such a great helper. She can't go 5 minutes without telling me how cute Joshua is. It's been so cute to watch how proud she gets to show him off to her friends. She'll be turning 11 in a few weeks and we've watched her grow up sort of overnight since Joshy was born. We love Anna.


We let the girls watch some of the dances from "So You Think You Can Dance". There was a really neat dance about breast cancer (I know it's hard to imagine how you dance about breast cancer, but they did). As Abby watched she first said, "I don't get it, is she the breast and he's the cancer?" (The girl was portraying a woman with breast cancer and the guy was her support system). After the performance the dancers, judges and audience members were very emotional. Abby was really stumped as to their reactions and blurted, "I just don't get the touchingness of it all!" We love Abigail.


Nate has surprised me how into Joshua he is. He begs me to hold him all day long and gets so excited to tell me every little thing the baby does. "Mom, Joshua just said his first word! He said, 'Uh'." "Mom, Joshy just pulled the funniest face, hurry and come see." etc, etc. We love Nathan.


Last night I was laying with Ben because he needed to stroke my hair, Brennan's just wasn't cutting it :) Anyway, he'd taken a late nap and his casted leg was itching and he was just generally having a hard time going to sleep. He kept changing position and then finally turned to me in the sweetest little exasperated voice and said, "Mom, I'm getting REALLY fust-er-ated!" "You're getting really frustrated?" "Yeah!" Poor sweet boy. In addition to his cast he is now also sporting a big old black eye. He banged it on the stair railing. He's also picked up a swear word and unfortunately Anna and her friend were the first to hear it and were so caught off guard they of course burst out laughing and made a pretty big deal about it. That sealed the deal and he now says it several times a day. We're working on it, but let me just apologize right now if your child comes home from my house with a new word. We love Benjamin.


Joshua is starting to be awake more and I love it when just stares into my face. He's also starting to coo a little and there's no sweeter sound. We love baby Joshy.

Ben, Abby and Nate in super-hero outfits and poses

Ben's shiner

Joshua
The only two pictures we managed to take at our family party last week

My niece Molly loving Joshy

Benny

I had to get some footage of Benny scootching while I could. He's also been walking on his cast now for a few days.

Lately his favorite show is "Kung Fu Panda" which he refers to as "Ku-Ku Panda" and he wanted to do some Ku-Ku moves for the camera.

Untitled from Andrea W. on Vimeo.

Things I Never Knew You Had to Say, But Evidently You Do (Especially to one gender in particular)

"Now explain to me how beating the trim off the shed with a golf club seemed like a good idea?"

"Just because Cheerios spill all over the floor doesn't mean we need to walk all over them and smoosh them into a bazillion crumbs."

"Strangely enough Abby isn't loving your foot in her face, could you please move it?"

"I'm happy for you that you're a Kung Fu Master, but no you may not karate chop that loaf of homemade bread you'll just have to wait until I can cut it for you."

"We DON't climb up on and walk across pianos!"

"We also don't walk across dining room tables!"

"We DON'T jump off the couch with a broken, casted leg!!!"

The last three were said yesterday within the same fun 30 minutes. I love boys. It's great that we just had our third. Seriously.

Getting Back to Life

Thanks for all your prayers and concern for Joshua. I took him in Monday morning and his bilirubin count was way down. My doctor had me put him under the lights that day and then we happily bid them farewell yesterday. I'm so grateful there's a relatively easy fix for Jaundice, like the lights, but I felt like Superman's parents putting their child in that weird crystal pod thing to send him to earth. The little mask he had to wear was just so sad to me especially when he cried enough to see a little wet spot on it from his tears. We're all loving being able to hold him whenever we want now and he seems to be loving it as much as we are. He's been very patient with being passed around from sibling to sibling.


Monday night was such a great night. Joshy slept peacefully in his Superman pod while Brennan and the kids and I had our little Family Home Evening. For the last week or so everyone has been going in what felt like a thousand different directions which worked out perfectly to enterain them and give me a much needed reprieve; however, it was sooooo nice to be a family again. Abby taught such a sweet lesson which she prepared all by herself. She wrote a couple of things on a paper towel (to make it extra special as opposed to regular paper) and then held up two at a time and asked us which one would help us return to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

(naughty)

Benny was in charge of the game so Brennan helped him come up with something he could actually play with his broken leg. We all sat in a circle on the floor and spread our legs out so they connected with our neighbors' legs and rolled the ball to each other. Pretty basic, but you should have seen the joy radiating from Ben as he directed us all in what to do and then played. I had been so focused on the baby it was such a sweet reminder of how blessed we are with every one of these sweet kids. They love us and each other so much, it just filled me up.

In other news I managed to roll out of here at the crack of 12:30 pm and took all 5 kids to Target!!!! It was an adventure, but actually went pretty well. It helps A LOT to have Ben confined to the cart and a sleepy baby who didn't make a peep the whole time.

Jan, you were right it does feel like we're in the fast lane lately; however, we don't seem to be getting anywhere any faster!!!

Update

Just want to report on the rest of the family before I forget a few things.

First of all Brennan and my brothers went golfing the other night (don't worry the big kids were at my Mom's under my SIL, Rebecca's, care and Benny rode in the cart with the golfers) and when he gave his name at the clubhouse a teenage boy overheard and somehow actually recognized his name. "Didn't you qualify for the State Am?" Brennan was kind of stunned but told him that he had indeed and chatted with him for a few minutes about the tournament. I'm not sure if this cute boy memorized the list of everyone who qualified or what, but he was treating Brennan like a celebrity. When they finished golfing he saw him again and the boy came up and shook his hand and told him his name. His very first fan. We love Brennan.

Anna has been DYING to hold the baby. It's killing her that he has to be under the lights all the time. She dotes on him and wants to be my trusted helper. She even said, "Mom, in the middle of the night when you're tired and the baby is fussy will you come get me so I can help him?" The other morning I told her not to worry about folding the clothes because they were going to the water park early. She quickly said, "But Mom, I don't want you to do it." I feel like she's already grown up so much since Monday. Yesterday at the lake they had rented jet skis and Anna was LOVING it. I'm glad I wasn't there because Brennan admitted she was scaring him to death with her wild ways. She tends to be a little trapped sometimes with some compulsiveness so I love it when her free spirit side comes out. We love Anna.

Sweet little Abigail survived a very rough few days when we were not all under one roof. She is the one I can count on to tell me exactly what they've all been up to and what I missed out on. She has an amazing memory, is super observant and loves to chat so I know I'm getting the whole story. She's loved spending so much time with so many of her aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins. I think it's been a little hard on her to be away from home so much though. As social as she is, she's got a little homebody in her. We love Abigail.

The other day, pre-Joshua, Nate brought me a can of root beer to open for him. I opened it, took a little sip and then handed it to him. Without missing a beat he quickly groaned and said, "Oh no! Now I'm going to be preg-a-nant!" He was joking but did it so dead-pan and I was so caught off guard we all laughed hard. He's really getting funny. He is kind of obsessed with Joshua and is constantly begging to hold him. He's also been so sweet with Ben and everyday asks Benny if he forgives him and if they're still friends. We love Natey.

I can't even begin to explain how incredibly good-natured Benny has been about being crippled, having a heavy hot itchy-cast, missing out on a LOT. What a HUGE blessing. We were so worried about him, but he's been amazing. He gets tired and restless and cranky every now and then, but for the most part he's been great. He seems to just understand he can't swim and play like the other kids and has accepted it completely and cheerfully. This is my child who is always on the go and always running, I really don't think he ever actually just walks. It's about the cutest thing in the world to watch him scootch himself around on his bottom with that huge old bright green cast in front of him. He loves his new baby brother and always wants me to have the baby sit by him. We love Benny.



Joshua is magically delicious. Sweet and lovable as can be. We love Joshua.

The Not Very Interesting, but For History's Sake, Saga of Exhaustion, Hormones and Bili Lights

Whew, what a week! I think I said that in my last post, but trust me it's true enough to repeat. We kicked things off great with the birth of Joshua on Monday afternoon at 2:30. That same day my Mom reported that Ben had hurt his leg. My parents came to see us and brought the kids. Brennan took the kids home. My sister, Eliza came and kept me and baby company that evening bearing wonderful gifts! Tuesday the babe and I relaxed at the hospital while Brennan stayed home with the kids. Eliza and her kids brought us lunch that afternoon and kept me entertained while Lizey chased Belle around our room. Brennan and the kids came to see Joshua and me that afternoon and then went back home. He dropped them off at my Mom's that evening to come spend some time with me at the hospital. That was a definite highlight of the week. It was so nice to just be able to talk and laugh with Bren and get to know our newest family member.

Wednesday morning Brennan took Benny to a sports therapist to have his leg looked at and that's when we found out it was broken and when they put that gigantic cast on him. They then raced the other direction to pick me and the baby up. Meanwhile my wonderful sister-in-law, Macy, picked up the three big kids and took them to the park and swimming. Brennan got me and the little boys home and settled where my Mom came over to be our nurse then he took off for the big State Golf Amateur. I felt so bad not to be able to go watch, he was so nervous and torn about going. I'm so grateful our family was so willing to help out so he could do it. He didn't play his best golf but was really excited when he got home to have experienced it.

Thursday morning I had to take Joshua for a follow up because when we left the hospital he had a little jaundice. Anna watched the big kids including our crippled Benny because Brennan had an early tee time for his second and last day of the tournament. When I got back the doctor's office called to tell me Joshua's bilirubin levels had increased and they wanted us back the next morning for another screening and that they would have a bili light brought to our house. My mom came and got the big kids and took them over to hang out with Chris and Rebecca and their kids in town from NM. The baby and I got some much needed rest. Brennan came home that afternoon really happy and grateful for the experience of playing in that kind of setting. He played better his second day and had a great time.

Friday morning Brennan was supposed to go do a training for a big client, but got his kind boss to do it so I could take Joshua back in for his bili screening and he could take Ben back to the sports therapist because we were concerned that Ben still wasn't walking with his cast. Joshua's news came back bad, his bilirubin count was up again and we needed to keep him under the lights all day and night except when he needed to eat all weekend. That's the point at which I broke. I put my poor naked except for a diaper brand new baby in this metal suitcase with lights glaring down on him with his eye mask and he was screaming. I sat next to him and tried unsuccessfully to soothe him with his pacifier and stroking him. We both sobbed. My kids all stood around trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with their mom. The doorbell rang. It was my Relief Society President (the woman called to head up the women's organization of our ward) with a loaf of homemade bread. I told Brennan I just couldn't talk to anyone right then, he explained to her and she left. Later one of her counselors and a good friend of mine called and left a message that they were thinking of me and would be bringing dinner that evening. Another friend dropped off homemade scones. Another brought another loaf of homemade bread and another brought something Brennan had been looking for to protect Ben's cast.




Joshua finally calmed down and has done really well about laying under the lights night and day. I miss him like crazy and will admit to dragging out the feeding process just so I can hold him a little bit longer. I hope tomorrow when I take him back in we can be done with the lights. I now realize there are much worse things than jaundice and lights and that thank heaven we have the technology like this and that my sweet baby will be fine. The sweet thing is though that it didn't matter that in the scheme of things this really isn't a huge deal, it was a big deal to me then and these women knew it was and that's what they cared about.

Now every time my kids see me they ask me if I'm crying. I've probably scarred them for life with my little break down. I barely saw my two brothers and their families who have been around, but they've all been so great to entertain my kids. They took them to a water park on Friday and then the whole family but me and Joshy when to the lake on Saturday. Brennan couldn't have helped Ben and the other kids by himself. Thank you so much to everyone for all your help!!!! We are so looking forward to Brennan's mom coming soon and can't believe how blessed we are with such great families.

Joshua Dixon

We finally have our sweet new baby and he finally has a name. He's such a sweet baby, we're all just loving him. There's something so indescribably heavenly about having a newborn in our home. I found myself passing the time in the hospital just looking at him. I didn't want the tv on or even music. Whenever it's just the two of us I want to shut out all the noise in a desperate attempt to drink in just being in his presence. I know it will be fleeting and I don't want to miss a second.

The big kids are thrilled with their new brother and fight over the chance to hold him. Except Ben, he doesn't want to hold him, but loves to sit close and stroke his hair. Speaking of Ben, he's had quite a lot to adjust to lately.

On Monday after Brennan and I left for the hospital the boys were doing their daily routine of wrestling. For some reason this time Nate landed on Ben's leg in such a way as to crack his tibia bone (I think, is that the shin bone?). We didn't know that until Wednesday morning when Brennan took him in for an x-ray right before picking me and the baby up from the hospital. They say he should be able to walk on it in no time, but so far he says it hurts so we have a crippled little guy.

Anyway, it's definitely been quite a week and we're so grateful Joshua is here safe and sound. Thank you all for your congratulations and well wishes. We feel so loved and so grateful to have the best family and friends we could ever ask for.

It's a...

Baby!















Boy!!!!!


This is Eliza, Andrea's sister. She wanted me to announce the birth of their adorable little boy. He was born around 2:30 this afternoon and weighs 7 pounds 13 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. Everything went well and mom and baby are healthy. Still not sure about the name yet, but I'm sure she'll be announcing that soon.

Here is the little package of sweetness

Women

I know it's kind of tacky to praise a group that I belong to, but I'm hoping it's a broad enough category as to be cleared of all tackiness charges. The deal is women are amazing. Not all of them, of course, I think we've all known some that are less than impressive, but generally speaking they are amazing.

Everyone who has a baby in my ward/neighborhood gets a shower, whether it's your first baby or 7th. Well, last night I got one. There are two other girls who very recently had their 3 an 4th babies and because there were three of us having babies so close together the women who organized the shower asked us if we'd mind combining. We were worried about people having to bring 3 gifts so they came up with a brilliant solution of doing a casserole shower where guests could bring one casserole/frozen meal and then it would all be divided amongst the three of us.

The guests arrived and most women showed up with three meals either that they had spent a great deal of time or money or both on. The other guests of honor had their sweet new babies there to show off, I had well nothing cute to show off. The babies were doted over and I was given enough sympathy and kindness and offers for help to carry me through the next few days. Every one of them showed such concern as if I was doing something they had never done when most of them did it more times. As I looked around the room at the totally diverse group - some stay at home moms, some working, some new young mothers, some who are braving the drama of teenagers, and some who are enjoying their grandkids, some who've had 5 or 6 or 8 kids and some who are struggling with infertility - I was just blown away. It was truly humbling and so gratifying to know that I belong to this group. A lot of the guests were women who are not particularly close with the three of us moms, different stages of life, new to the neighborhood, etc., but it doesn't matter --we're sisters and we're women.