Jack is 4!

Our oldest little man turned 4 today!  Mr. Jack Christian was our very first born and has been such a joy to us from the very first day.  He's so sweet, compassionate, loving, funny and energetic.  I just love his passion for life - I seriously want to bottle it up and sell it!  He wakes up every day in a great mood, ready to conquer the world.  And despite his typical 4-year-old behaviors, he's an amazing kid and we are so blessed that he is ours. 

These days he's really into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, characters from the movie Planes, watching animated movies with his daddy and reading cool books.  But mostly, he loves spending time with his family and friends.  I mean, this kid really LOVES the people around him.  He's going to be such a loyal son, brother, cousin, grandkid and friend when he grows up.  He's a great big bro to Gavin and he absolutely adores his baby sister Dylan.  And he has such an awesome group of friends from school who have a really special bond for a bunch of 4 year olds.  Its really cool to see them together.  I am so glad he has them in his life.

He's such a big kid now and I was really starting to mourn the fact that his baby days are gone.  But God definitely works in mysterious ways because he brought us Dylan who is the spitting image of Jack.  They look identical as babies and in some ways they even have the same characteristics - she's chubby like he was, she eats like him, she cries like him and she even has the same dry skin on her forehead like he did. She even smells like him which brings back a flood of memories of caring for Jack when he was a newborn.  So I guess I can find a little comfort in that.  I definitely miss Baby Jack but I am so proud of the person that he has become.  I cannot wait to see what greatness lies ahead for him! 

We had an awesome day celebrating his 4th year with him.  Here's a little sneak peak into Jack's big day...

As you can see from the photo above, we got Jack a new Razor scooter for his birthday.  Here he is riding it outside for the first time.  He's actually pretty good at it.  Poor little Gav is always trying to keep up with his big brother...

Next up was lunch at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.  Jack LOVES this place.  We've been here a few times and they make a big deal about birthdays so Jack has been dying to come here for his own.  Jenny and the girls met us and we had a blast.  Here's the birthday boy...

Cousins!  I swear I never get a good picture of all of them...

Besties for life...

Jack's Big Ole Sundae...strawberry ice cream with caramel sauce and whipped cream!

Silly Daddy...

Gavin really liked his ice cream...

And what summer birthday celebration would be complete without a trip to the pool?!  Jack loves his new swim suit from Gigi and Papa...

 

Daddy and Jack always have fun together...



Our little surfer dude...

 

 

So it's my tradition to take a picture with Jack every July 16 at exactly 8:21 pm, the time that he was born.  It's such a special moment for me and it makes me stop and remember how I felt the day he came into my life.  I will take them and post them as long as he will let me.  Here are our special pictures from the last 4 years.  I love looking back and seeing how much he has grown...

 

 

Newborn...

First...

Second...

Third...

Fourth...

 

Happy Birthday Jack!  We love you!



Little Miss Dylan...

I can't believe Dylan will be a month old in just a few days!  And I can't believe that in that month I have only managed to post newborn pictures from the hospital - oops!  So I realized I needed to get some cute pictures on the board before it's too late.  I'll write all about our lovey in her one month blog, but for now here are some picture of our Little Miss from the first 2 weeks of her life.  I can't believe how much she has already changed from just 2 weeks ago...

All bundled and cozy.  I can't get enough of her chubby cheeks...

Kisses from daddy...

Our little angel face!  Man do I look tired here - eek!  I already feel so much better than I did in this picture!

 

 

 

She loves to be cuddled....

 



Nice and warm after her first sponge bath at home...

After wearing onesies for a week we finally put her in her first real outfit to take some pictures...

This was the first time Jack got to hold her since he was sick the day we brought her home.  He was a little nervous at first and didn't want to hold her for too long because she started crying...

But Gavin, on the other hand, LOVED holding her and didn't want to put her down.  You can tell how happy he is.  He's still obsessed with her and always wants to hold, kiss and touch her.  He thinks she's the cutest thing in the world.  It's adorable and annoying at the same time...

With her Mimi...

Ahhhh, a long weekend visit from Mimi and Papa was just what this tired mommy needed.  Things always feel better when they are around!

All this picture taking has daddy and Dylan all tuckered out!

Wide awake and so cute!

Such a sweet and peaceful sleeper...

I surrender!

Her first dress!  Ok, so this is a newborn dress and she's only 2 weeks old in this picture.  But as you can see the dress is already a bit too small!  She's such a little chubster!  So she basically wore it for a few hours and will never wear it again.  I hope someone has a baby girl soon so we can pass along all these adorable, barely-worn clothes!

 

And In Other News...

As if there is any other news more important than a new baby!  But as much as Christian and I would like to spend our days staring at and cuddling baby Dylan, we do have 2 boys who need our love and attention just as much.  So life has moved on very quickly this third time around...there really wasn't any room for a pause button.  Within a week or so we were back to normal, which is what the boys really needed.  And thankfully I felt good enough to do so.  But I honestly think that getting back to routine has helped the boys with the transition of having a new baby because they absolutely adore her and show no signs of jealousy whatsoever - we're so lucky in that respect! 

We've kept them very busy with play dates, visits with family, BBQ's, pool time, etc.  And Little Miss Dylan just tags along for the ride.  I never would have taken the boys out so soon and so often but she's a trooper and I have a feeling she'll be a chill kid because she has to go with the flow.  With 3 kids to care for, some days are good and some days are not, but for the most part we are doing just fine.  It's a lot juggling all of their needs but it's what I signed up for so I just do it!  But I must admit that I have been bad about getting pictures of the boys these past few weeks since I take so many of Dylan.  But I did manage to grab a few cute ones...

Our biggest news is that Jack started Pre-K on June 21!  I can't believe he's such a big kid now.  Surprisingly, he cried when we dropped him off.  He usually doesn't get sad about stuff like that.  But the poor guy had a lot going on that week with the new baby and all.  They said he cried for a minute and then saw all of his buddies and he was fine.  He misses his teacher Marianne from pre-school but otherwise he loves his new class!  He even got to take his first walking field trip to the park which he was thrilled about!  Here he is on his first day (I know, not the best picture)...

 

So, I think we have a budding photographer on our hands.  A certain someone loves taking pictures and the other day when I was downloading photos there were about 20 random ones of things around the house....including my behind, Dylan sleeping, Gavin's tonsils, etc.  The last one was this self-portrait.  Do you recognize this face?!  Those baby blues are a dead give away...

This is what happens when daddy dresses the boys.  Chicago proud!

Finding creative ways to beat the heat when you can't make it to the pool...

 

My adorable boy!  I just love this face!  And yes, we have let his hair grow to California hippie surfer dude status.  You can blame daddy for that - he won't let me cut it!

I adore this picture.  The baby was napping one day and Jack just crawled into bed next to her and fell asleep.  I feel like he was watching over her.  He's such a great big brother...

Happy Fourth of July!  I just feel so complete having three little chickens.  This is the way it was always meant to be!  Dylan is about 2 weeks here and as you can see she is quite the little chubster!  The girl loves to eat.  More Dylan pics to come in the next post...

At our neighborhood July 4th Celebration...

Yummy cotton candy...

Gav playing with his buddy Everett at the festival...

We had an early 4th Birthday BBQ Pool Party for Jack on July 6th.  It was such an absolute blast with my family, close friends and Jack's best buds.  I will post all the pictures another time but here is a little teaser...

The Princess Has Arrived!

As I have done with both boys, I wanted to officially introduce the newest member of our family to my blog world.  Little miss Dylan Kathleen David was born on Monday, June 17 at 5:39 pm.  She was almost the exact same size as her brother Gavin....she weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and measured 19.5 inches long (he was 20 inches).  But she looked just like her brother Jack....in fact I think the first thing I said when I saw her was, "She looks just like Jack!"  She is the sweetest, most precious little baby and has already brought so much joy to our family.  Having a baby girl has been a wonderfully beautiful experience for us....so much more than I could have ever imagined. 

I always like to write out the birth experience so my children will have a record of how they were brought into this world.  And I will warn you that this is a long post and probably boring to most of you.  I don't get graphic but I will get detailed so if this is something you don't care about just skip down to the pictures. 

Dylan's due date was June 25, a Tuesday.  But I was really hoping that I would go a little earlier because by the end of my third pregnancy in 4 years, I was just so over it and very uncomfortable.  So I went to see my amazing OB....Dr. Kroll on Monday, June 10 and she said all the signs were there for me to deliver any day.  I was over the moon thinking she would be arriving that week.  So Christian and I went home, packed the bag, got all our ducks in a row....then we waited, and waited and waited some more.  And by Friday, she still had not arrived.  Needless to say, it was very frustrating!  We were both so emotionally let down because we honestly thought we would have had her by then.  I just wanted an end is sight!  So even though I didn't really want an induction, I called my doctor on Friday and she scheduled an induction for the following Wednesday.  And since she was going to be on vacation, it would need to be performed by her partner, Dr. VanBlaricon.  I felt a little sense of relief but still hoped that our little girl would arrive on her own time like the boys did.

Well, the weekend came and went with no action.  So that Monday, June 17, we were scheduled for fetal monitoring early that morning.  I woke up feeling very tired, emotional, and just a little off, a lot like I felt the morning I had Jack.  I called my mom on the way there and just broke down in tears.  I just knew something was up.  We got to the appointment at 9:30 am and they performed the tests as usual...monitoring the baby's heart beat and fetal movement.  About 10 minutes in, the nurse noticed that I was having contractions and that the baby's heart rate dropped after a particularly long one.  So she consulted with the perinatologist and then called Dr. VanBlaricon and within about 15 minutes they decided it was best to deliver the baby that day.  I started crying when she told us because I was so excited to finally meet my baby!  Fortunately, I was already at the hospital for my appointment so by 10:30 am I was already headed to labor and delivery.  In the meantime we rallied the troops - Papa Joey and Obed went to take care of the boys and mom and Jen high-tailed it to the hospital.  My family is so awesome and supportive!

By 11:15 am I was checked in and the process began!  We had the best nurse - Kelli! She was hilarious and we just had the most relaxing and chill transition.  At 12:00 pm she checked me and I was already 5 cm dilated, but oddly enough not in active labor.  I had felt no pain or contractions but was somehow at 5 cm - crazy!  So to get things moving, Dr. VanBlaricon came over and broke my water at about 12:30 pm.  I still felt no painful contractions but I decided to get the epidural so I could avoid any future pain.  I felt like a bit of a wimp because I didn't get epi's with the boys til 7 cm.  But I just wanted things to go smoothly.  So I got it just before 1:00 pm.  Shortly thereafter my mom and sis showed up and we all settled in to wait for the baby.

By 2:00 pm I was still 5 cm.  That was a little frustrating because I thought I would have progressed more in 2 hours.  So at about 2:15 they started a light pitocin drip.  At 3:00 pm I was still at 5.  Now I was definitely starting to get frustrated!  I get very impatient in these situations because I usually labor very quickly and I just wanted to meet the baby.  So around 3:30 pm, they upped the pitocin and whammo - I could definitely start to feel the pressure of the contractions coming at me fast.  At 5:00 pm they checked me and in 90 minutes I had gone from 5 to 10 cm!  It was time to call the doc and prep for delivery.  I was so ready.  Christian and mom were there to hold my hands while Jen took pics and video.  What a team! 

The nurse had me do a few test pushes to see how I was doing and them immediately had me stop because she said the baby was ready to come out.  But we had to wait for the doc to arrive.  By 5:30 pm we were ready to go.  After just a few pushes the baby was almost out.  In fact she actually came out on her own with my last contraction.  But when her head came out Dr. VanBlaricon told us she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice.  She had to cut the cord first and then deliver her shoulders and body.  They pulled her out and she was blue and not crying at all.  I got to touch her for 2 seconds then they had to take her to the table to get her breathing.  It was the scariest 30 seconds of my life.  But then she began to wail and I was so relieved!  It was honestly the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.  Christian and Jen were with the baby while my mom stayed with me.  All four of us were literally crying with joy!  It was such an awesome experience.  So with just a 5 hour labor and a few minutes of drama, I got to hold my little Dylan for the first time.  I was more present than any of my other births because it was such an easy delivery.  It was pretty magical.

I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the birth process.  I have been blessed with 3 easy deliveries so all of my experiences have been wonderful.  I could do it 100 more times.  But seeing that I hate being pregnant and there is no way I could ever handle more kids, I am officially DONE having children.  The shop is closed!  But I am so thankful for my 3 beautiful and healthy children.  And I am even more thankful that I finally got my girl.  Now I feel like our family is complete.  We are so blessed. 

Now, just a little over 2 weeks later, we're still trying to juggle having three kids under the age of 4.  It is not easy but I knew it wouldn't be.  Thankfully, Dylan is a pretty easy baby and the boys just love her to pieces.  They have really adjusted well to having her in the house.  I can't say the same for Christian and me since we are running on no sleep.  But I know it will keep getting better and better as time goes on.  But honestly, I don't want to wish this time away too quickly because I know it is brief and this is the last time I will care for a precious newborn.  So I am trying to savor every moment....even if I am half asleep while doing it! 

Here are some pictures of Dylan's birth at the hospital and bringing her home.

Here we go again!  We were so happy and relaxed the 3rd time around...

My amazing support team!  They were all in the room when Dylan was delivered which was very special to me.  We gave Dylan my mom's name as her middle name because my mom is the greatest woman I know...

The view of Newport Coast from our room.  Not too shabby...

The waiting game...

Fully dilated and ready to go.  This is the last picture you will ever see of me pregnant!  Can I get an AMEN!

When she finally started screaming she really let it out!  The girl has some lungs!

Jack's mini-me...

Ahhh, it's all over and I just relax now...

We finally have our girl!

Proud daddy!  He's going to spoil this child rotten! 

Auntie Jenny.  My best friend ever...

Mimi and Papa!  This is their 6th grandchild is just over 4 years.  We've been a busy little family...

She loved her first bath...

We had lots of visitors the day after she was born!  Starting with my mom's sister and my awesome aunt Sandy.  She's the original baby whisperer!

Me and my little princess!  I was so hoping she would look exactly like me but so far she looks a lot like Christian and Jack.  But Jack's a great-looking kid so she's I know she's going to be beautiful...

With Grammy Delora...who is also amazing with babies!

My dear friend Patricia who is a nurse at Hoag...

The David Family 3.0!  Sometimes I still can't believe that I have 3 kids!  But when I look at this picture I feel complete, like this was meant to be...

I am NOT happy...

For the first few days the only time Dylan would sleep was in my arms.  But I didn't mind...

We're going home today!!

Goodbye Hoag Hospital!  Christian and I were trying to savor the last bit of silence before heading home to the boys and the inevitable chaos...

First car ride.  Dylan loves her car seat...

Finally home and so tired from the past few days of excitement...

Mommy is tired too...

Here's a picture of Dylan's nursery.  Since the boy's had a pretty neutral color scheme all we had to do was incorporate a little pink in the mix....a few hand-made pillows from Isabel, some frames, accessories and baby pink sheets.  It's such a sweet space and still my favorite room in the house.  Welcome home Baby Dylan!