tyler turns one!

Last week our little boy turned one! The other boys were as excited as could be and what a year this past one has been!

During a prenatal check up with the dr. he told me that I was not allowed to go home but that we was going to admit me into the hospital with high blood pressure. I cried. I had five weeks to go and my boys needed me. After a few days I was allowed to go home with strict orders to stay off my feet. I spent a lot of time in our screened porch watching the kids play. We were so thankful for help from our family and friends who came and cleaned, brought meals, picked up our children, and were so encouraging.

With my other pregnancies I got sick, so before this pregnancy I read that if you are super healthy you might not get sick. That sounded very appealing to me so I took hundreds of vitamins, I did a liver cleanse, I ate healthy and looked at ingredients. You name it, I did it.  This was totally not me since food is very important to me, especially the sweeter the better. But I have to say that it worked and I felt a lot better during this pregnancy. I just want to say that if you see me go through this phase again, it might not be what you think it is:) During that time I felt beyond great, and loved the abundance of energy I got from being healthy.

A proud dad holding Tyler soon after he was born!  When I had my 20 week ultrasound I told the tech. not to tell me what the baby was. I got home and looked at the picture of the ultrasound and ta-da, we were having another boy! We were happy and prayed that the pregnancy would continue to go well.
I was induced three weeks early because of high blood pressure. At three o'clock in the afternoon I was 4cm dilated and the dr. decided to break my water. Tyler was born 35 minutes later!

Soon after Tyler was born, he began to look waxy and had trouble breathing. The grandparents and our boys were able to see him for a quick minute before he was transported to Mac. I stayed at the hospital but we could see the ambulance leaving with our little son in there. That was a hard night thinking that this little baby that you carried for 9 months was so far away from you. Early the next morning we left for Mac and that became our home for the next week. I was thankful that I made such a good recovery after the baby was born and got my strength back almost right away, but Tyler was a lot worse than they originally thought.

On his second night there, Tyler was really struggling and he had to be intubated. He was at 6.8 pounds the biggest baby in the NICU but he was requiring the most care. Besides the quick moment that I held after he was born, this was my first time holding him three days later. It was pure joy to be able to hold him and I just treasured it! The funny thing about babies is that they can get sick fast but they can get better quick too. As soon as the dr. s figured out what to do for him, the crisis was past and Tyler made a lot of improvement each day.  A week later we were able to take him home. Rachel was so thoughtful and made a beautiful sign for him.  Adam and I were just so thankful. We saw many sick babies in the hospital. Some were the size of our hands, and we knew that they would be in there for months. How terribly tiring it was for the parents.

Our boys were thrilled to meet their little brother and be able to hold him.

Father's day!

A month later we had baptism for the three boy cousins. Heather just had her baby three days before. Who would of thought that we all of us sisters would of had a boy? To tell you the truth it still amazes me.

This was our first time together with all of the newborn boys. What an assortment of strollers, carseats, soothers, diapers. It was unbelievable. For a long time I was the only one with children and in a short while we were altogether, in the same stage of life and I loved it.

Kentin, Tyler, James, and Josh

As wonderful as it was to have a baby in the house, it was not all rosey. We had a lot of crying for the first 9 months. A lot of it. Up North everyone was taking "Tyler turns"  to give me a break from the fussiness. We found out that our little guy had acid reflux and after a few weeks of medication he became a new baby. Finally I was sleeping through the night instead of getting up 3-4 times:)

Josh and Tyler

Tyler is a small little guy but he is getting around. He is a wiggle worm and is able to hold his own against his three older brothers. He smirks at us. In a way it kind of scares me because he has a look that says "I know more than I am letting on." We are all in love with Tyler. We pray that he will love the Lord and want to serve Him with much zeal!