Family of Five

I really need to get back to updating my blog on a regular basis. It has been nearly 10 months since my last post and while there hasn't been a lot of occurrences in the Collis household, there has been one important happening: the birth of our daughter, London Rose Collis. After a very rough labor and delivery (I'll explain below), London arrived on June 24th at 7:39 a.m. and weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.

The labor and delivery was rough. I went in to be induced at midnight on June 24, 2013. At that point, I was already dilated to almost 5. After getting hooked up to monitors and having consistent contractions, I was ready for my epidural. Unfortunately, after waiting 30 minutes, I determined the epidural wasn't working as I could feel everything. Screaming, crying and breathing was the only way I could deal with the pain. By 4am, I was fully dilated. I began pushing as soon as my doctor got there; however, London was not coming down the birth canal as she should have. It was now time to wait again. The pain was unbearable so they again administered the epidural in the hopes it would work this time. It helped for about an hour but then I starting feeling everything again. By a little after 7am, I was feeling the urge to push. My nurse at that time was determined to help me deliver this child. She starting having me push even before my doctor got there. Finally my doctor arrived. Still, London wasn't budging. He then told me he had to go do a c-section and would have to come back again for me to try again. I was dumbfounded and thought "He is not leaving me like this!" I looked at the nurse and I knew she could read my mind. I immediately felt another contraction coming and voiced that to her and my doctor. The nurse told me to go ahead and push. I pushed with everything I had in me, my doctor looked at me and said "okay then". He then prepped himself to deliver London.

London had a slightly rough start at first as she came out face up with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice. The nurses whisked her away from me and after a few minutes of getting her to take consistent breaths, I heard her cry. It was amazing to hear. Despite the unplanned natural delivery and the pain accompanied, it was well worth it to have London come into this world.

London is absolutely perfect. She is now 2 months old and she is such a gem. She sleeps through the night most nights, and only really cries when she is hungry or wants to be held. She has brought so much joy and happiness to our lives.

Noah has been such a huge help. He is always eager to help which is so nice. Kolsen, on the other hand, is starting to come around. He has passed the jealousy phase for the most part and is just now showing interest London and wants to feed her.

All in all, our family is not a bit larger and we plan on keeping it just us, a family of 5.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

On October 21st, Josh and I discovered that we are, in fact, expecting baby #3. It was a surprise to each of us to say the least. After the initial shock wore off, we immediately called our parents. I also called the next person in line that I usually call, my wonderful boss. We waited to make the big announcement to everyone else until after I had my first ultrasound as we wanted to make sure all was well.

On October 31st, I had my first OB appointment which consisted of my first ultrasound. All is well! We officially have a little peanut with a heartbeat. My estimated due date is June 22, 2013 (which I might add is Josh's birthday); however the doctor thinks I am farther along by a week or two.

My 2nd appointment is scheduled for November 21st, at which point I will have my second ultrasound to take some measurements and determine more accurately how far along I am. At the current rate, we should find out the gender right before Christmas (exciting!!!!).

Noah is very excited to be a big brother again and really wants a little sister. Kolsen  shows love for my tummy on a regular basis. When I ask him where the baby is, he points to my tummy and gives my tummy a hug. I think he understands more than I thought he would.

My first bout of morning sickness came when we were on our way back from visiting my family in New Mexico. I hoped and prayed that it wouldn't hit me while on the trip but it did and it was MISERABLE! For those of you who have never experienced morning sickness in your pregnancies, you are SO LUCKY! The morning sickness has gotten progressively better, perhaps that is due to the Zofran. But really, I have only taken 1 or 2 pills in the last 4 days so I am doing good. I cannot bear to look at food though. I used to frequent Pinterest but I try to avoid it now as any photo of food makes me nauseous. I cannot even look at a commercial of any food...yes it is THAT bad. Other than the morning sickness (or all day sickness rather), my only other complaint is exhaustion. Growing a baby has really been kicking my butt!

Regardless, I am feeling better and only have a few more weeks until I am out of the first trimester. 

To the dogs

Recently, our family acquired a dog via a local Craigslist ad. A local family had an unexpected litter of pups and were desperatley trying to find new homes for them. The breed is a Minii Dachshund and Chihuahua mix, otherwise known as a "Chiweenie". I contacted the owner and we set up a time to met the only puppy that was left. I had told Noah that he was getting a surprise. He was super excited despite his many guesses. When we pulled up to meet the puppy, Noah was overcome with joy and said in his cute, excited voice, "That puppy is for me???!!!" I replied that the puppy would be our family dog.

After discussing names, we decided to name the puppy Gryffindor. For those who may not know, the name comes from Harry Potter. Gryffindor, or Gryff as we call him, has turned out to be a great addition to our family. He is very playful, lovable and lots of fun for my boys.

First night at his new home

Still sleeping

Finally awake

Catching up

I have been neglecting my blog and that it was time to give an update on what has happened since my last post.

Josh and I discovered a new love for racing. We have been going to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at almost every chance we have gotten. It is very exhilerating and loads of fun.

In March, I took the boys to the Shiloh Horse Sanctuary. It was such a nice experience and we made a friend while there: a beautiful horse that kept following us. Beautiful!

In April, we took the boys to the Clark County Fair. The boys really loved seeing the animals.

I celebrated my 30th Birthday on May 9th. It was a very scary time to hit 30, but I know more exciting things are to come in my next 30 years.

The most important thing: Kolsen celebrated his 1st birthday. It was a small party but he had a blast. He is now walking and keeping up on our toes.

In June, we took the boys to Venice Beach, CA and to the LA Zoo.

Lastly, Josh and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. We have been through a lot together these last 12 years. Through the many ups and downs, we have pushed through. We went mini golfing and had a nice dinner.

I will try to be more diligent on keeping my blog current and with more details.

I Need a Hobby...

I have come to the realization that I need a hobby. Some people like gardening, scrapbooking or even cooking. I will be turning 30 this year and realize there is nothing that I am truly passionate about. Sure, I love to Facebook, blog and spend hours on Pinterest but as far as something outside of the web, my hobbies are, well, none. Spending time with my family is certainly fulfilling but I need to find something for myself, something that I can put my spare time into (that is, when I have spare time without the munchkins). I would love to get into scrapbooking but find that it's too expensive. Besides, I would much rather make my photo books using Shutterfly. I have been checking out a lot of crafting ideas through Pinterest and have found so many neat ideas. Still, I need a passion, something that I love to do and that I can be proud of.

Perhaps a hobby will present itself in time. For now, I will continue to blog, Facebook and utilize Pinterest.

An Angry Birds Birthday

Noah turned 4 on January 31st. On February 4th, we had a birthday party for him at our house with an Angry Bird theme. The turn out for his party was great and Noah had a blast. After the ER visit the morning of his birthday, this party is just what he needed. Check out photos of Noah's Angry Bird bash!