OnE mOnTh oLd!

One month today!

What a month! It has been so wonderful having a baby in the house again. And I'm just going to be cliche' and say, I can't believe she's already a month old! Where has the time gone? It has completely flown by... and all that stuff. I can't help it if it's true.

During this first month Megan has already learned to smile her little heart out. You may not believe it but Daddy got her first real smile out of her at about 4 days old. I know. I know. I couldn't believe it either but these were big, open mouthed, crinkly-eyed smiles. My boys started at the more typical age of 5-6 weeks so 4 days was definitely hard to believe. Megan has been a very focused, calm baby which I think really contributed to her ability to smile. Anyway, the proof is in the pudding as they say so here you go.

Here are some more random pics of my girl during her first month of experiencing life.

This is her "happy face".

Those cheeks are just asking to be smooched!

Megan and her cousin Lyndsee.

Megan is just a few days old in this picture. Notice how well she fills out her 3 month jammies already!

Megan's brother's LOVE her. Noah already has nick names for her- Megsies and Princess.

Look at those eyes.

Megan has only been here a month but we feel like she's been ours forever. We LoVe her!

...pray for them which despitefully use you...

That is a quote from Mathew 5:44 and no one has applied this more aptly in their lives than our Noah. Every time Noah prays he says something like "thank you for the bad guys", "bless the bad guys" or our personal favorite, "help the bad guys to be good."

Yes our little Noah is obsessed with bad guys. As Kyle puts it, "he has bad buy in his blood." In fact whenever Noah is having a bad day in nursery at church all the teachers know that the way to calm him down is to talk about bad guys. Usually he comes out of class with some kind of depiction of Joker (his favorite bad guy) and a super hero.

Noah's favorite game is to play bad guy with Kyle, who always wants to be the good guy. Noah runs around chasing Kyle, trying to talk as low as he can in a monotone voice saying "Hey, I'm a bad guy."

Luckily the "bad guy" addiction is only skin deep. Noah does not have a bad bone in him. He is sweet and we love him dearly. He has taught us that we need to pray for our enemies... cause someone has to love the bad guy... and that someone is Noah.

--Adam

Noah update: The other night Noah and I were playing when he said to me, "don't do that you freaky bad guy." I took it as a compliment knowing how he feels about bad guys.

Precious

My sweet girl at 3 days old...

and some other sweet faces.

Getting BiGgEr!

What can I say? My baby girl is an over-achiever.

They told us at the hospital that Megan had lost 10 oz. and that they expect her to be back up to birth weight by her 2 week appointment.

Well, today we found out that Megan has been doing her homework. She sits at a nice plump

10lbs. 13 oz.

A good 1 lb. 8 oz gain in two weeks. Hello! She's also

22.5 in. long.

The doctor says she looks healthy and strong.

How blessed are we?

Introducing...

Megan Kate Shiflett!

Born February 26, 2010

@ 4:47 PM

9 lbs. 15 oz.

22 in.

We are SO excited to finally have our baby girl here and in our arms. She is more than we ever imagined. (I mean, did you SEE her size?) She has Mommy's big eyes, Daddy's cleft chin, and sweetness in abundance.

If you read the post previous to this one you may have gathered that I was getting a little impatient for Megan to come. That post was written on her due date but still Megan wasn't prepared to show her sweet, round face. So when I went to my 40 week check-up I decided to go ahead and induce the upcoming Friday. Adam was practically begging to induce Wednesday but I really wanted to give the baby a chance to come on her own.

I know I'm (Adam) not supposed to be the one that gets impatient, but I wanted my little girl to come. I get frustrated towards the end of the pregnancies. Erin gets to feel the baby moving around all day and that becomes a way to bond with them, but I just have to wait. I was sickof waiting. I WANTED MY BABY GIRL!

.

Friday arrived and of course, still no baby. Adam just about had a nervous breakdown waiting for the hospital to call and tell us it's "our turn". They finally called around 9 AM so we dropped what we were doing -literally- and set out for the hospital around 10 AM. We dropped the boys off at G-ma and G-pa's and with nervous excitement arrived at the hospital. After we got all settled in our luxurious hospital room, they got me started on a delicious cocktail of saline (Whooda thought salt water tasted like rubbing alcohol coursing through your

veins?), pitocin, and penicillin (I had strep B).

This is actually the start to my favorite part. With all the pricking and prodding of my wife (no that's NOT my favorite part) they also wrap a bunch of monitors around her belly. I love this because it allows me to see what is going on in my wife's stomach. I watch the monitor constantly and tell my wife when she is having a contraction, to which she says, "I know I'm having a contraction." The monitors are the only time that I get to have the same experience as my wife with seeing what the baby is doing every second.

Time for the contractions to kick in and force that little girl out of her warm, protected cocoon (sad!). They started me at about 11 am. Doc came down to check it all out and break my water. She was still up high and not at all engaged so he worried that it would be a long labor. I wasn't too concerned. As long as I get my drugs I'll be good...yeah, well that's what TOOK A WHILE! AFTER they dial-up my pitocin and AFTER they break my water they tell me it'll probably be about 45 minutes before the anesthesiologist can see me since he was starting a c-section. This is my nightmare. I'm a pansy!

45 mins roll around and still no drugs. ("He should be here any second." Mmmhmmm...) By this time I'm panting and cursing anyone that even tries to talk to me.

Seeing my wife in pain I ran back and forth from the nursing station "Is he coming?", "When is the C-section done?", "Where is he now?", "He's coming down the hall? Can he run?".

FINALLY, my hero walks into the room (I wish she was talking about her husband...), sticks a giant needle in my back and leaves me praising his name. What a job he has.

After getting my drugs the nurse tells me I'm dilated to a 4 cm. Cool but I'm sure I still have a little time left to go. Yeah, no. An hour later she tells me "you're ready to push!" I was like seriously? So soon? I've only waited a mere 9 months. This point of labor is so surreal. Here comes baby!

I saw the baby's head almost immediately after Erin's first push. The first thing I noticed was the hair. Lots of babies have hair, but not ours, so this was a bit of a surprise.

When Megan's full head made an appearance my doctor just looked at me and said (almost solemnly) "This is going to be a big baby." At this time I saw that the doctor was moving his hands around Megan's neck. He told us later that he was unwrapping the umbilical cord. It was wrapped around her neck 3 times. Kyle's was wrapped once, Noah's twice. Stats say that 1 in 3 baby's have the cord wrapped around their necks, but we're batting 1,000. They were guessing she would be "big" and in the 8 lb range before she was born. Well, they were right that she was going to be big but boy, did they underestimate.

In the chaos that followed (weighing, cleaning, de-gooping) I followed Megan around with my cameras as the nurses passed her around. One of the first features we recognized was her cleft chin (like her father). The next thing we saw was her big eyes (mommy's) as she opened them and started to look around at the world.

The hospital stay was a great opportunity to get to know our baby. True I had to run back and forth for the boys, but thanks to our families baby sitting them, I was able to spend most of my time at the hospital. I enjoyed the quiet times Erin and I got to spend looking at her and getting to show her off to everyone that showed up.

Thanks to everyone who came to visit us at the hospital. The H1N1 rules made it a little hectic (only 2 at a time and no one under 14 not a sibling), so I appreciate everyone's efforts to come and see us.

The best visitors were Kyle and Noah. My parents brought them over to meet their sister and were waiting in our room when they brought Erin up from delivery. They reacted completely differently:

Kyle was quite and careful. He wanted to hold Megan and did so like a pro. He stared at her lovingly looking her in the face. If he said something he spoke softly. It seemed like he did not want to take his eyes off his baby sister. He would periodically bend over and give her a kiss on the head. Erin and I had been anticipating this moment and Kyle reacted just they way we thought he would.

Noah was a complete shock to me. I did not know what to expect from him (jealously?, confusion?). He wanted to look at the baby and started talking to her, "Hi, Megan, hi. This a baby. Her name Megan." He told everyone that walked in about her, even the nurses. He walked around the whole room announcing her name, obviously very excited. When it came his turn to hold her he sat still and kept talking to her.

The best Noah moment came when we were leaving. I went outside to get the car. Since I was not there and Erin was in the wheel chair the nurse picked up the car seat and started carrying it. Noah was concerned. "That's our baby," he said and grabbed on to the side of the carrier, not letting go until Megan was latched into her car seat base.

I very much appreciate everyone who brought over meals. A new baby, no work for a week and good food, does life get any better?

Megan is naturally a gorgeous girl and is, so far, a very calm, good-natured baby. She lets her mommy get some sleep at night but she is an even better sleeper during the day. Hoping to switch that around soon.

We are all very attached to Megan. We are so blessed to have this tiny girl in our lives.

(Thanks for the beautiful pic, Nichole! :)

Silly Kyle

Kyle's teacher posted on her blog some funny things that some of the kids say. Here are the two she wrote about Kyle:

At the end of class today, we played Simon Says while we waited for the parents to come. Kyle was the Simon. He said "Simon says sit down on the floor". So, we did. Then he sat there for a minute thinking. Finally he said "Simon s... no wait a minute, I'm going to do it without the Simon says".

About a month ago, the class was being a bit noisy. I had reminded them a couple different times that it was my turn to talk. Kyle raised his hand and said "Teacher, sometimes I can't go quiet."

Funny boy.

Time to Leave the Mommy Motel!

Ohhhhhh Meeeeeeegaaaannnn! Where arrrrrrrre yooooooouuuu?!!!!

We are so ready for you! Here's proof.

Nice, soft, comfy bed...

Blankets to keep you snuggly warm...

Hospital bag ready...

And loads of precious girly pink clothes...

Look how bored your mommy is...

We are so ready to meet this baby girl but she doesn't seem to be at all ready for us. I am having no labor indications and haven't really "progressed". I have an appointment with my doctor but I won't be holding my breath. None of my children have been in a hurry to get here. I am trying really hard to be patient and Adam, even harder. He is really the impatient one. He's just so ready to meet his first baby girl.

UPDATE: I actually have progressed 2 cm (Wow.) and 60% effaced since I wrote the last sentence. And we will be inducing in the very near future. I hope I go on my own before then but it's nice to see the light and the end of the tunnel.

Making yummy chocolate covered strawberries. Easy-peasy, right?

BEFORE

AFTER

These pictures crack me up every time I look at them. The boys and I were making strawberries for Daddy. I decided I needed to move the strawberries to a pan while holding the pan with my belly (don't ask. Note to self: get pan BEFORE dipping). All that chocolate scrumptiousness ended up on the floor in a big heap. LUCKILY, all but two stayed on the parchment paper and were therefore ugly but completely edible as Kyle and Noah will demonstrate below.

They were definitely still delicious and Adam didn't even notice their pitiful state.

What do Kyle and Steven Tyler have in common?

Pink is their favorite color!

We recently discovered a song by Aerosmith called "Pink" where Tyler exclaims that pink is his favorite color. Every time we listen to it, we have a good chuckle. You see, pink really IS Kyle's color of choice. He won't wear it. He doesn't want a pink bedroom. In fact, he thinks its a girl color. So WHY does he insist on pink being his favorite color? When we ask him he has no explanation. Red used to be his favorite color but ever since he found out that pink is light red his preferences have changed.

Some of our favorite lines from the song because they especially apply to Kyle are:

"Pink is like red but not quite."

"Pink is my favorite crayon." (He always looks for the pink crayon or marker when coloring.)

Comic Relief

Adam and Kyle's weekly ritual- reading the Sunday comics.

Baby Update

I wish I could say there is some MAJOR progress to update you on but...there isn't.

The nursery is FINALLY painted but alas, not finished. Here is a sneak peek at what promises to be a sweet, precious and totally GIRLY room.

This was not my original plan -the pink- but when I couldn't find exactly what I originally wanted, pink became the next best and easiest option. With the help and talent of a few my sisters its going to really come together.

Trips to the OB's office haven't shown a lot of progress either. This is not surprising, however. I am only dilated to a 1 and I plan on being there until... forever. With Noah I was still at one after I'd been in labor for 11 hours. Ugh. Let's hope things cooperate a little more this time. I've also had 2 doctors and one ultrasound tell me that this little girl will in fact be a BIG girl. They are guessing in the 8 lb. range. Noah was 8'2 and I think I handled his delivery fine. I'll be praying she's not much bigger than that.

I had the sweetest, most Valentine-y-est baby shower this past weekend. It was thrown by my sisters and my mom (Love you, ladies!!). After this shower, Megan will be best dressed baby girl on the planet. I got some adorable stuff. The food was also delicious and the company divine. I just can't WAIT to get this baby girl here and play dress up!

Sweet and nerdy nieces. :)

Mmmmmmm... Oh why didn't I just eat more...

This week...

...after enjoying a night at the movies (we saw 'Planet 51') we discovered that Adam had left the drivers side door open the entire time. We were at Valley. Fair. Mall. HELLO! We were blessed that nothing happened.

...Noah has decided that church isn't some form of cruel punishment. A couple of weeks ago we couldn't even mention church with him getting all anxious and declaring that he NEVER wanted to go church. Getting him ready Sunday morning was always torture for both of us. After the closing prayer for Sacrament, Noah would immediately start begging to go home. Just last week, however, he decided that nursery was not so bad and actually got upset at the prospect of GOING home. Yay! Let's hope it sticks.

...Some of my sweet, sweet friends surprised me at our GNO with a baby shower. I am so appreciative and LOVE all the teeny, tiny, baby girl stuff. Thanks again, Jess, Kerri, Brianna, Kristen, Keri and Candys!!

...Girls night for me always means "Boy Night" for my boys. This included dinner at McDonald's (a boy fav) with Gma and Gpa. Then it was off to Hollywood Connection for over-priced kid rides. The boys loved it so I guess it was worth it. Kyle was his usual self as a ride lover but Noah wasn't so sure about the Dragon ride (not sure what that was). He did okay otherwise.

If you want to see Kyle thoroughly enjoying himself at Circus Circus a little over a year ago, check out this link.

...Adam got to indulge in his passion of skiing. He's pretty proud that although he was sore it wasn't too bad. He works out, ya know.

My cute ski bunny...

35 weeks! Yep, I've resorted to wearing the hubby's shirts.

Big Brothers

I am so excited for this baby girl to come for SO many reasons but a lot has to with her big brothers.

Kyle is so excited to have a baby around the house. When he gets a chance to hold a baby he eagerly takes it. While holding a friends baby he just kept staring at him and finally said, "I just can't stop looking at him."

He is such a wonderful big brother to Noah. He's sometimes too good. Noah knows all he has to do to get something from Kyle is start crying and begging and Kyle will give in. Noah knows he can go to Kyle for help or even comfort. Kyle has such a tender, loving nature. He doesn't like to see people unhappy (especially Mommy). He is going to be a huge help to me.

Noah wanted the comfort of his big brother when he got hurt.

Noah really enjoys babies as well but can also get jealous. So I look forward, with only a little apprehension, to Noah's reaction to the little girl that will soon take his place as baby of the family. I can also Noah trying to be the helpful brother by trying to tote the baby around. I'll keep you updated, I'm sure.

Scroll down for an oh so exciting Christmas update!

WhAt'S uP?

...Kyle and Daddy made a snow tunnel in the front yard. Kyle LOVED it. They were outside for over an hour but Kyle could have stayed out there all day.

...Noah has been waking up with dry diapers which in turn has wakened some hope in me. It's never as easy as you HOPE though. He DID go pee-pee in the toilet once but has since lost interest. Ah well. There's always next month...

...We went on an exciting out of town trip...for a few hours...down to Richfield... Really though, we didn't go far but it felt good to just GO somewhere. It was also good to see Adam's grandparents (Martin's) and family. Adam's grandpa had to show off his thumping sound system that included a record player and lots of Frank Sinatra. Good times. SO glad the weather cooperated and we had beautiful sunshine to drive down in.

...We started 9am church *groan*. It actually isn't so bad now but come baby number three I think we will be lucky to make it sacrament!!

...We celebrated the New Year hanging out with the Wall's, eating lots of food and playing (or cheating on) Disney Trivial Pursuit. Yep, hard core party-ers, right here.

...Decided that I have started the pregnant waddle.

...No cavities for me! Yay!

...Baby girl is measuring right on. But I decided it would be fun to be anemic. Go me.