Thumb sucker

And so it is.  We have a thumb sucker.  The boys both took binks, so this is uncharted territory for us.  The one nice thing is, she can’t lose her thumb!  (Although in the future, we may wish she could :))

Zhu Zhu pets and haunted houses

The boys received big brother presents to open from Nana & Papa’s neighbors.  We are now the proud owners of 2 Zhu Zhu pets.  I had heard of these things, but had never seen them in action.  Who knew hamsters quacked and moo-ed???  The boys love them!

Later in the day, we broke out the construction paper and stickers and made haunted houses based on a picture of one in an I Spy book the boys received (also as a gift for being big brothers.)

1st trip to mass

We loaded up the crew and headed to our first mass as family of 5.

Ingrid was pretty worn out afterward, so she needed a nap – ha!

Photos from Brooke

My friend, Brooke, came over today and took pictures of the kids.  I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!  I highly recommend her!

Present from Aunt Kari & visit from Uncle Jason

Aunt Kari sent the boys a package a few weeks before Ingrid was born.  We held off on having them open it until after she came home.  They loved what they found inside the envelope.  Although I have to admit, I think I ate most of their Raisinets.  Sorry boys!

Uncle Jason came to visit tonight.  He brought puzzles for the boys (which they love) and got to meet Ingrid.

Going home

After 2 days in the hospital, we packed up and headed home…as a family of 5.  I really love the sound of that.

I know we’ve got some adjustments in store, but we’ll get through it.  I can’t say enough about the care we received in the hospital.  I’ve had great nurses each time I have delivered a child, my doctor is top-notch, and my husband is the greatest support person I could ask for.  I may have rough pregnancies, but I think God treats me to “easy” deliveries.  And for that, I am extremely thankful.

On our way home, Jake asked the boys if they thought we should get a birthday cake for baby Ingrid.  They said yes, of course.  We stopped at the grocery store and Jake ran in to get a cake.  He picked a pink one and the lady behind the bakery counter wrote Ingrid’s name on it.  We lit a “0” candle at home and let the boys blow it out before digging in.  It was strawberry flavored…yum!

After cake, we took the first (of many, I’m sure) pictures of the 3 kids together.  It’s so sweet to finally see them all together.

Nolan is absolutely thrilled to have Ingrid home.  That, and after I’ve recovered, I can wrestle again.

She’s here!

I thought for sure I’d have a 10/01/10 baby, but she held out for one more day.  That’s right, SHE!  We had a little girl today and she is absolutely beautiful!  I’m thrilled she’s finally here.  The last days, weeks, months, ok most of the pregnancy was pretty rough on me.  But as with the boys, it was totally worth it.

We went to the hospital about 4:30 this morning (our fantastic neighbor came over to sit in the house with the boys sleeping upstairs until my mom could drive over.)  They decided to keep me after monitoring me for a couple of hours.  Once in the delivery room, (the largest corner room they have in the place with a great view of a creek,) I managed to endure the contractions for another hour or so and then decided to have my nurse call in the anesthesiologist to provide me with some relief in the form of an epidural.  I’m not one to endure pain for the sake of pain; I know my limits.  So once the kind man gave me my numbing drip, I was able to rest/doze off and get ready to meet our new baby.  My water broke on its own, shortly after, I pushed once, and at 12:19 P.M.,  little Miss Ingrid Anmarene was out!

When they announced to us that we had a girl to add to our family, I was in disbelief.  Prior to her arrival, I had come around to the notion of having 3 boys.  I just assumed that is what we’d have.  But no, clearly God has other things in store for us – and we are so thankful for the newest gift He has given us.

My second moment of disbelief came when I heard how much my “little” girl weighed.  I thought for sure they were a pound off, but no, she weighed in at 9 pounds, 12 ounces.  That’s bigger than both of her brothers.  All 3 kids were the same length: 22 inches.  My little Sheck babies…they’re long ones!  No “newborn” clothes are worn in our house.  We skip right to the 3 month clothes.

Ingrid is the first granddaughter on both sides of the family and the first great-granddaughter of the 7 great-grandkids on Jake’s side of the family.  Let the inundation of pink begin!

Shiner #2

Last night we were at our friends’ house and Nolan got a little excited and bounced off their couch onto their circular coffee table.  Unfortunately, circular tables still have hard edges and he ended up with a swollen & colorful eye when he woke up this morning.

Now both boys have had black eyes this year, so the score is settled.  No need to have any more.

First day of school 2010

I made the boys orange rolls (a 1st day tradition I started last year with Nolan)

and we took the token front step and church sign photos.  Shuttling between dropping Nolan off and getting Lincoln to ECFE is going to be a bit crazy, but I think we can make it work.  I’m looking forward to seeing how much they both grow this year.