Happy Birthday Grandpa Rusty!

We hope you had a great day! ...what a year...two new grandbabies on either side of your birthday!

Nelson's First Hike

Nelson's first hike was up on Sincline! He had a blast!

Happy Birthday...

Willow Bean!

We love you and miss you bunches!

Nels...At Three Weeks

This little piggy gained 1.5 lbs in 1.5 weeks! (and he snorts!)

...From My Sweet Husband

It's A Home!...For....

..."Hockey", "Docky" and "George"!

Who are Amya's new hens!

Dan designed this chicken coup, and he and his mom built it this weekend. (and yes, the price of free roaming eggs is expensive!)

More about the hens to come........

Does This Give It Away?

This is what Dan and Judy worked on this weekend. Do you know what it is?

Any Guesses...?

...as to what we are temporarily using our garden boxes for?

...and speaking of belated...

February is turning out to be a very busy birthday month! We also got to spend my Dad's birthday with him, a few days before Nelson was born. We already miss you, Grandpa Burt!

...and because Nelson was born on his biggest cousin's 14th birthday, we totally neglected Taylor this year! Sorry sweetie! We love you and hope you can come visit this summer!

Two days before Dan's birthday, his wonderful Grandma turned 90 years young!!! Happy Birthday, Great Grandma Shaw! You are truely one of the happiest, most positive people on this planet!

Happy Belated, Grammy!

We were happy we got to spend it with you!

Does Anyone Else See A Resemblance? -- Part II

...................NELSON........................................................................AMYA.....................................

Happy Birthday, Sweet Hubby!

To the father of my two beautiful children: I love you more than this blog will allow me to convey. You are an amazing man and I feel lucky to have you for the rest of our lives. I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

...........loving his babies....................................................birthday breakfast.......................................

Does Anyone Else See A Resemblance?

Thank You Moms And Dad!

...for ALL your incredible help!

I'm so fortunate that Grandma Chris, Grandpa Burt and Grammy came to help out. My mom cooked, cleaned and helped me finish up last minute sewing projects. My mom was in the room for the entire labor and delivery and took some awesome pictures to document the experience. My dad took care of Amya by himself for 24 straight hours, while the rest of us were busy. I'm so glad we got to share this experience with you!

Judy is still here, taking care of us, while I rest and recuperate. There aren't enough words to express the gratitude Dan and I feel for all the hard work and extra time our parents gave us. THANK YOU ALL!!!

Michael Came Over....

...and took some more beautiful pictures!!!

Our Record Breaker!

When Nelson was born, he was attached to a ridiculously long umbilical cord! I did a little research about "typical" cords and cord lengths. This is what I found.....

V. Umbilical cord length and twisting
Analogous to how a kitchen phone cord becomes longer with increased use, umbilical cord length is dependent on fetal movements—the more movement, the longer the cord. The converse is also true—less intrauterine movement leads to shorter umbilical cords (as attested to by animal experiments where induced fetal muscle paralysis led to shortened umbilical cord length). Normally, the human umbilical cord reaches a length of 60-70 cm at term. Although the length of the umbilical cord has no intrinsic effect on fetal blood flow, a longer cord is more susceptible to knotting, entanglement around the fetus (especially the neck), and even prolapse out of the uterus during delivery any of which can lead to intrauterine fetal demise.

The Umbilical Cord
(from the Encyclopedia of Reproduction)
Harvey J. Kliman, M.D., Ph.D.
Yale University School of Medicine

Nelson's umbilical cord was 115 cm long!...and it was LOOSELY wrapped around his neck FOUR times! No worries on that, though. He never showed signs of distress during the delivery and, again, it was wrapped loosely. Our doctor said it was a record for her. Previously, she had only ever seen three wraps and that was always with a cesarean. This does justify all the activity this little guy displayed in utero!!

The Kids!

Amya Gets A Brother!

The old family portrait

.....................wait a minute!....................................................Amya takes a spin!.........................

Amya stopped by the hospital the night before Nelson was born. We wanted her to be aware of what was going on and see for herself that everything was about to change. She was very excited! At one point she watched me intently while I was having a contraction. I noticed she was looking at me and she took two big steps backward, without braking eye contact. I explained to her that she wasn't going to hurt me and that sometimes it just hurts a little when the baby is getting ready to come out. Her response was: "I know mom. I just don't want to get any blood on me when the baby comes out."

When we got home from the hospital, she came running to the door, cheering! She inspected her baby brother again, then said to me, "Thanks for pushing my baby out, mommy."

Our new Family portrait!

Amya Meets Nelson...