monkeys

My crazy monkeys showered me with lots of loves, kisses, and cards this mothers day.

What a lucky mama I am.

Now to wrap my brain around the fact that there will be +1 in just a few months...

crazy.

confessions

First a few confessions:

1. I do not like school breaks.  I dread them.  I find myself counting down the days until they are over before they even start.  Call me a bad mom but it gets a little overwhelming trying to entertain 2 very energetic boys with no school distractions.

2. I love, love, love waking up in Las Vegas in the spring.  Windows open, breeze blowing, birds chirping.  It is the perfect way to start the day.

3.  If I could wake up and snuggle with my husband and babies in the morning, every morning, I would be one very happy mom.  It just brings joy to my heart.

So this morning I wake up to a little person saying "mom.... mom.... moooooom."  I groggily come out from under my blankets expecting to settle yet another spring break disagreement.  But to my surprise I see a beaming Beckam holding a plate overflowing with eggs and toast and hear an excited Cade on the other side of the bed doing the same for Jared. 

Those little men woke up, cracked, scrambled and plated 18 {yes 18} eggs for us and made multiple pieces of toast.  Cade was proud that he had made all the eggs and Beckam was proud that he had handed Cade all of the eggs.  Love it.

When I asked them why they decided to make us breakfast Cade replied, "just because of all the nice things you do for us."  ::sigh:: melt my heart.

After we had choked down eaten all of our eggs {while the boys jumped back and forth over the bed and Capri squawked until she had just as many bites as I did.}  I headed down to view the damage.  Not bad considering a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old had made breakfast but it did take a good amount of time to scrub yolk off of... everything.

So back to my confessions.  

1. Those little turkeys proved me wrong.  School breaks are not half bad... except for the cleaning up part.

2.  Windows open, breeze blowing and birds chirping is even better when accompanied by kids.

3.  Snuggling with the family is even better when accompanied with eggs.

Still smiling.

sugar rush.

We ate a lot of candy yesterday.

Like a lot.

But that is totally legal one day a year... right?

Now we are on sugar detox around here....

not helpful that we still have doughnuts, cupcakes, sees chocolates, and cookies still hanging around.

Maybe we will start tomorrow.

Happy late Valentines day to you all.

Hope your holiday was as fantastic as ours was.

Happy birthday, little lady

It happened.  About 1 month ago {ahem, yep slacker} my baby turned 1.  Cannot believe it, then again it feels like it has always been.  I have been smitten with this little lady since the moment I met her.

It has been such a joy to watch her learn and grow.  It is truly fascinating how a little girl can be so vastly different from her brothers but also fit so perfectly.  She is full of love, smiles and so much joy.  She has filled a void in me that I did not even know existed until she was born and I felt so much more whole. 

She does have a bit of shyness in her that is typically only manifest in large, unfamiliar groups {unfortunately, just like her mama.}  She loves to observe and cautiously join, until she is comfortable.   However, her eyes always sparkle with so much happiness.  It makes my heart happy to see her.

   

It has been such a joy to have her in our family.  We all adore her and cannot get enough of her.

Things to remember-

-You are this close to walking.  You will walk on your knees or holding someone's hand but not on your own quite yet. {mom, and you tights, hope you start soon}

-You talk all.the.time.  It is so so so cute to listen to you jabber.  I think you sound like a little martian with your words.  Love it.

-When you get shy you will put your head down and your hands over your ears.

-Your hair can finally hold a clip by its self.  It usually stays.... until you realize it is there and pull it out to chew on.

-You love to smile at everyone.  You know when you are the center of attention and soak it in.

-You have the best belly laugh.

-You climb on and pull out everything.

-Your favorite thing, that you cannot have, is moms wallet.

-At 12 months you weighed 20lbs and were 30 inches tall.  

Sure do adore you, little lady!

Capri: Month 9 & 10

Now that you are almost 11 months I guess it is about time....

-You have become extremely mobile these past few months.  You started your army crawl a few months back but you have finally realized it is much faster {and cleaner } to use your knees instead of your tummy.

-You love to eat and get V.E.R.Y. frustrated if we are eating and you are not getting a bite.

-You love people.  You give loves, hugs, and smiles to everyone you see.

-You like to give big bear hugs when you get out of bed.

-You love the stairs and are actually rather good at them.

-You like to stand up on everything.

-You now have 7 teeth and like to remind us that they are there.  {ouch}

-You babble all day long.

-You usually go to bed at 7pm and wake up around 7:30am.

-You really love bananas.


We love, love, love you to pieces.  You are the sweetest little thing and we are so thankful to have you in our family.  We all adore you.

-You are always getting new bumps and bruises.

-You say mama and dada all day long.

-You are starting to think that big kid food is way cooler than baby food.

-You like to try and steal Beckams' sippy cup.

Capri: Month 8

I cannot believe that we have reached 8 months already!  You are closer to 1 year than you are to being a newborn... how did that happen!?

You are the pretty much the sweetest baby ever.  

-you love your blankets. a lot.

-you have not met a food you don't like.  You are always interested in taking a taste of whatever we are eating.  Your recent favorite has been graham crackers and bananas.

-you love the pool.  You will sit back and float around all day.

-you were not too interested in the beach.  

-you love to smile and do at everyone.

-you recently found your voice... and it is loud.

-you just got a new highchair and you think you are pretty cool stuff in it.

-you are still a pretty good sleeper and if you have to miss a nap you are pretty good and just going with the flow.

-you just started to army crawl and seem to find everything and anything on the floor.

-you l.o.v.e. jewelry.  I have to turn my wedding ring into my palm when I feed you because you always want to grab it and eat it.

-you are still wearing 6-9 month clothing.

-you will do anything to get a hold of a diaper.  You find them so interesting.

-you bring so much peace to our house.

We love you little lady.  So so so much.  You bring us all so much joy.... 

but you are getting big way too fast!  Just stay little forever.

*side note: yes, Beckam did turn 3.  I didn't forget.  We celebrated.  I didn't take pictures, shoot.  He was so sweet.  I am working on his 3 year old pictures.... soon.

Yum.

Don't you just want to eat her all up?

She is pretty much the sweetest thing... ever.

Capri: Month 6 & 7

I cannot believe that 7 months has passed with this little peanut.  She is such a joy and is growing up so quickly.

-you are finally brave enough to sit all on your own.  you still tip yourself over sometimes when you get excited but for the most part you do well.

-you love your baby food.  you haven't found one yet that you don't like.

-you love to squeal all the time.

-you sleep 11-13 hours at night... its a beautiful thing.

-you are totally content to take your naps in the car seat.

-you are complimented on your eyes all the time...they are a beautiful blue.

-you had your second tooth pop through.  

-you chew on everything.

-you can roll but only do so when you are in the mood.

-you love your soft blanket.

-you smack your lips often.

-you love to softly run your fingers through moms hair and just look at it.

-you go with the flow well.

-you love, love, love the pool.  we put you in your floaty and your relax the whole afternoon.

-you hate the big bathtub, go figure.

 -you also turned 6 months old... a month ago.  I was intentionally waiting to post the 6 month pictures until we had you weighed at the doctors.  However, the appointment was pushed back several weeks because of a trip to the ER we had to make with you.  One night you spiked a fever and couldn't stop throwing up.  You quickly became very lethargic and glassy eyed so we rushed you to the ER in the middle of the night.  After many hours, test, prods, and pokes the finally discovered that you had a UTI, you were one sad little baby. 

We did eventually make it to the pediatrician for your 6 month check.

At 6.5 months-

Weight- 16lbs 4oz

Height- 26.5 inches

Head- 43.5 cm

You are such a joy and we are all so thankful for the sweet and calming spirit you bring to our family.  We love you baby girl!

Blessings from Heaven

 Back in February Jared blessed this sweet baby girl of ours, and it was beautiful.

We were lucky enough to be surrounded by all of our family.  We waited until my cute brother, Ryan, came home from his mission so he could be there with us.  We were also then able to enjoy his amazing homecoming talk the next morning.

We went to Utah and were actually able to bless her in my sister-in-law, Marisa's, house on Saturday February 26, 2011.  It was so wonderful to be in Wright's home with family and friends and to watch all the men who love Capri dearly take part in giving her a name and a blessing.  

It was beautiful.

 Little Miss was an absolute angel.  

The blessing was followed by a delicious dinner and lots of chatting and laughing.  It is such a blessing to have this sweet little baby girl in our lives, to have the gospel and the priesthood and to have family that loves us all and each other so much.

Such blessings from Heaven. 

It was so much fun to pick out her blessing dress and all the little "details" to go along with it.  I found her beautiful ivory dress in a little antique shop in Ohio and then her Uma and Papa bought it for her.  It was a joy to plan the blessing and even more wonderful to be there.  

Thank you to all of our family and friends that made the trek to Utah to share in this wonderful occasion with us.  

Capri: Month 3

Can you believe it... 3 whole months!!  Time is going so fast I just cannot believe it.  I am not sure if it is because she is my 3rd and I am into "mom grove" or because she is my little girl but I am so happy, content, and in love with this little baby.

She just makes my heart happy.

 -you love to smile.  especially at mom... and I love it!

-you just discovered your hands and are constantly fascinated by them.

-you are always holding onto your shirt with your right hand.

-you just started to giggle a little bit.

-you sleep about 8 hours at night.

-you do not like the camera.  You smile and smile until the camera comes up and then the smiles are gone.

-your eyes are still blue... and absolutely beautiful.

-you love your blanket by your cheek when you fall asleep.

-you take most of your naps in your car seat... Guess it comes with having older siblings that are always on the go.

-you made your first "sick trip" to the doctor.  poor baby!

-your arms and legs are constantly moving but yet you still remain so calm.

-you always want to see people.  you can be screaming your lungs out and if we just walk into view you are fine.

-you love your tongue and are always sticking it out.

-you eat about 5 ounces per feeding.

-you can calm anyone who is holding you.

-you are all girl.  even your cry is sweet and dainty.

-you love to keep eye contact with whoever has you.

We L.O.V.E. you our sweet little Capri.  You have brought so much peace and happiness to our home.

Christmas 2010

 Santa made it to our house and it was truly a success.  I gave myself a gift this year.  I decided to allow myself to enjoy the moment rather than spend all of my time trying to document every second of what happened.  It is always such a struggle to know when to just stop, put down the camera, and enjoy my children being children and this year I decided that the first few moments would be documented in print and the rest as memories I will carry with me forever.

 We had the pleasure of having my cute sister and her adorable family with us for Christmas.  Alli and I couldn't help but laugh when we realized that we had unknowingly put all the boys in the same jammies. What are the odds that we would not only have bought the same ones but also put them on them the same night... we must be sisters or something :).

We also were able to have some good friends come over to join in the Chaos of Christmas morning with us and we also had my mom and dad with us via skype.  So it was a houseful.  So fun!

Cade loved everything he opened and wasn't afraid to share his excitement with all of us.  He is truly one of the most fun kids on Christmas morning.  So far the most played with gifts have been their Harry Potter wands and their remote control cars.

 

Beckam on the other hand had to be Convinced to open A.L.L. of his gifts.  He was so focused on all the candy that surrounded him that he had a hard time paying attention to anything else.  He was so worried that Cade would take his candy {and rightfully so} that he wanted to put it in his pockets to protect it.  Only problem, jammies don't have pockets.  That didn't stop Beck.  He shoved all his candy in his "pockets" anyway and carried it around in his pant leg all morning.  It was quite the sight to see him try and get it out.

Maddux was such a sweetie.  He wanted to just hang back and take it all in.  I can't blame the poor kid.... the Nielson boys can be rather overwhelming on a normal day let alone Christmas morning.

He was such a trooper.

And Miss Capri was an angel as always.  She slept most of the time and the boys took turns opening her gifts for her and then attempting to show her what she got.

Although I put down my camera and lived in the moment there was one that I just couldn't miss.  Jared and I have been so excited about having a backyard so we could get the boys a trampoline and it has been one of the best things we have ever bought.  The boys L.O.V.E. it.  They jump at all times of the day and night.

I love that I can look right through my kitchen window and watch them play, jump, and do whatever they can to get my attention.

It was truly a wonderful Christmas.  It was so nice to be surrounded by our family and to join in the excitement of childhood with them.  We feel so blessed.

Capri: 2 Months

...2 months...

10lbs 1 oz

22.5 inches

39cm head circumference

- you are the sweetest little thing ever.

-you are full of smiles.  you can always see your smiles coming before they show up.

- you average 4oz per feeding.

-you eat every 4 hours.  you are awake for 1.5 hours and then sleep for about 2.5.

-you cannot fall into a deep sleep unless you are wrapped up nice and tight.

-you always manage to pull your bows over your eyes when you are in the car seat.

-you spend a.lot. of time in the car but love it {thank heavens}

-you sleep for about 6 hours at night but made it to 9 hours once you hit 9 weeks.

-your brothers constantly smother you with kisses.

-you are a noisy sleeper.

-you have blue eyes. {crossing fingers they stay blue}

-you took your first vacation to California with mom and dad and were amazing!

-you did not like getting shots and let the whole doctors office know it but were totally fine as soon as they were over.

-you are so calming.

-you are finally fitting into 0-3 month clothes.

-we love you to pieces.

Just for Grandma...

You asked and I delivered.  

Love you mom!!

6 weeks old

Side note:  I do love her brothers too... they just don't hold still for the camera as long as she does :)

Capri: Month 1

It has been 4 short weeks since she was born but it feels like she has always been with us.

Amazing how things you love fit perfectly into your life.

A few of my favorite things about you...

-dad and I could watch you for hours... and we often do.

-you love to be swaddled...tight.

-you just barely grew out of newborn clothes and can almost fit 0-3 month sizes.

-you get hiccups all.the.time.

-you eat almost 4oz every 4 hours.

-you are a patient little soul.

-you will go from dead asleep to an ear piercing scream... when a girl wants to eat she wants to eat.

-beckam calls you Pree and smothers you with kisses and hugs constantly.

-cade always wants to hold you and thinks he is way cool when he can stand up with you in his arms.

-i cannot pick you up without kissing you.

-purple is the color you look best in.

-you always burp twice in a row.

-you love your avent binki.

-you love to sleep. 

We all love our sweet little Capri and are so thankful to have her here.

Love you baby girl!

8 lbs 13 oz

21.5 inches

37 cm head circumference

Life

  There is nothing like fall trees.  I love them.

The color.

The crunch.

The memories they stir within my heart.

Not very often, in Las Vegas, do you actually get a glimpse of real fall trees.  As enchanting as palm trees can be at first sight they don't exactly lend much to the fall season.  So when I saw these trees my heart practically skipped a beat.

I was rather impressed with myself.  I had all three kids up, bathed, dressed, fed, and on location by 8 a.m. I wont tell you what I looked like or how Beckam really acted but lets just say neither were very pretty.

Life is finally starting to get into somewhat of a routine.  I still feel a little out of sorts that I have had to replace my normal, leisurely, 10 a.m. workout for a 5 a.m. sleepy eyed run, my enjoyable, quiet shower time with a speedy, chaotic rinse (if I am lucky), and laundry... well... hmmm... lets just say there is a lot of it.

However, how lucky I feel to have these 3 little monkeys.  They have all grown, evolved, stepped up, given a little and loved a lot.

Being a mom is good.  It is amazing.  It is tricky.  It is hard.  It is everything.

I have recently gained a new perspective.  A view from the other other side, if you will.

I had the incredible opportunity of photographing my dear friend Camille as she brought a beautiful baby into this world.  

 

The mom feeling never changes... it just deepens...always

According to the Calendar...

I should just be meeting her today...

...how lucky I am to have had almost 3 weeks to snuggle, kiss, and breathe her in instead.

And the pictures begin...

This little Miss has been such a joy in our lives. She is the best little baby and makes life so easy. She has been sleeping and eating well and loves, loves, loves to be cuddled.

It was so much fun to photograph her. I have been thinking about what I wanted to do with her pictures for a long time so my mom and I wasted no time "dressing her up" with bow, tutus and blankets for her first photo shoot.

The rocking chair she is in in the above picture was actually the rocking chair my mom and dad bought to rock me in as a baby. It made my heart happy to see my little baby girl in it and to have already spent hours rocking her in the same chair.

This little girl thing is just too too much fun. She is such a joy and I feel so blessed to have started this new journey.

Her Big Debut

As I sit here and write this post I still, a week later, cannot believe that I am holding my little baby girl... MY little baby girl! I have spent many hours in this very spot and felt her move and wiggle, wondered about who she was, what she would look like. And now here we are, as if it has always been, but now she is in my arms... and she is perfect.

I had a gut feeling, mothers intuition or maybe just a hope, that she would make her debut a little earlier than her brothers so I wasn't too surprised when I woke up in the wee hours of Monday morning with contractions and knew the time had come... 20 days early.

I noticed my first contraction at 2:30 am but tried to go back to sleep knowing that it would be a big day, however, once 3:30 am came I decided to get up and shower. I quickly noticed that my contractions were now rather regular, about 3-4 minutes apart, and knew it was time to spread the news. I woke Jared who in turn wanted to call anyone and everyone to let them know but settled for waking my mom, who luckily had made it to Las Vegas the night before, and calling his mom.

We headed to the hospital and checked in at 5:30 am. As I waited for the nurse to come check me I was worried they would send me back home because my contractions had slowed way down. However, the nurse was just as shocked as I was to find that I was dilated to a 5 and immediately admitted us with the caution to grab the anesthesiologist at the earliest opening because it was a busy day and as soon as my water broke the baby would be here.

I was so excited and so amazed that I had progressed as far as I had already. They got me all signed in, hooked up, and sent the epidural my way despite the fact my contractions seemed to have stopped. As soon as the anesthesiologist left the room they broke my water and I was quickly dilated to a 7. We were ready to get the show on the road. They called the doctor to update him and he asked if they could hold me off until noon, 4 hours away. The nurse just laughed and said there was no way we were going to make it that long.

I was so excited and couldn't believe how easily things had moved along. Not much pain, everyone I loved was there, I was having a baby... it just couldn't get better. The nurse continued to check me and was slightly concerned that the baby's hand was on top of her head but felt that she would move it back before delivery. However, the hours started to stretch on, dilation drastically slowed down, and baby's heart beat was varying, things were not looking so good. My sweet nurse continued to assure me that she would do all she could to get the baby to move her hand and that the doctor had confidence that it shouldn't be a problem. I was exhausted and a little frustrated with myself but hopeful.

After being in the hospital and dilated to an 8 for about 7 hours my nurse took her lunch break and left me in the hands of another nurse for 30 minutes. The other nurse quickly came to check in on me and very abruptly asked me if my original nurse had "informed me of the likelihood of a c-section." I told her that she had mentioned it but that we were working to get the baby to move her hand. The nurse told me I didn't have a chance, that I was going to harm the baby and possibly myself. She gave me the rundown of how the procedure would go and told me that I had an 80% chance of a c-section so I needed to prepare myself. I was so taken back, so crushed, so scared, I didn't know what to do with myself other than to try not to cry. The nurse turned to leave the room and Jared rushed over to hug me, which is when the tears started to flow. The nurse quickly turned around and told me to "stop crying or your nurse will be upset with me for making you cry."

My heart was broken. I did not want to have a c-section. I love delivering babies. I didn't want to miss out on that bonding time as soon as the baby was delivered. I didn't want to have to repeat the process the next time I delivered. I was scared and crushed.

My sweet nurse, Krystal, soon came back from lunch and told me she had heard what had happened and not to worry. We still had time left and the baby at least had turned her hand down and not facing up. I had been promised in a blessing before we left for the hospital that there "would be no accidents" and that was all I could hold onto. I spent the next several hours pleading with my Father in Heaven but promising to do whatever it took to keep my little one safe.

The time finally came and I knew I needed to push even though her little hand was still on top of her head. While we waited for the doctor to arrive I was able to go through a few rounds of practice pushes but was quickly stopped and told to wait for the doctor. Doctor Foster arrived soon thereafter and after one round of pushing he was visibly concerned. He could see the baby's hand and it was extremely swollen. He told me he would give me one more round and I pushed with all my might... but nothing.

You could feel the anxiety in the room, the c-section was looming, and it looked like despite all of our work over the past 13 hours it was going to be inevitable, but I wasn't ready to give up. I immediately felt the immense need to push again and kept saying, "I need to push, can I please push!" The doctor and nurse didn't hear me but my mom, who was right by my side, heard my desperation, and with hopeful but concerned eyes told me to push. I bore down and pushed with all my might and immediately the baby's little arm popped right out. I heard the doctor say, "well we are totally committed now." I was so excited but nervous because I knew if they couldn't get her through the birth canal there would be some major problems.

Doctor Foster told me to push again and with that one push our little miracle arrived. She had her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and chest several times and that is what had held her hand on top of her head. It was the most amazing experience to finally hold her in my arms, to see her, to feel her, to have her... safe.

I know her slow entrance into this world was "no accident." I know that the Lord was watching over both of us that day. Loving us, teaching us, caring for us.

Our sweet little Capri has been such a joy and a blessing. She brings so much peace and innocence to our home. Her brothers completely adore her. Beckam smothers her with constant kisses and Cade always has to know where she is so he can "protect" her. Her daddy is so in love with her. And me... well... she melts my heart.

How thankful I am for her safe arrival. For the lessons my Heavenly Father taught me in those 13 hours. For her sweet spirit. For the knowledge that I get to have her with me forever.

So the journey begins... I cannot wait!

Capri Susanne Nielson

November 1, 2010

7lbs 3oz

19 inches

* thank you to my dear friend Camille for spending the whole day with us and capturing these precious moments.