Baby Photo Shoot

The one thing I really wanted the most was some good newborn baby pictures.  I regret not doing better ones with the older girls, but we couldn't really afford much back then either.  My friend Sarah took these for us at her house. She is the same gal who did our family photos over the summer which I loved.  She and I have very similar taste so I knew she would do a great job and who know what kind of look I wanted.  I am so in love with them, it is going to be super hard to decide which one to frame. 

 The suitcase one is one of my top picks.

 Another top favorite of mine.  My friend Tamara made this very adorable hat

 This one shows the lips that all my girls have.  I just love those little lips.

 I feel like this one belongs on a poster somewhere.

Which one is your favorite?

Samantha Claire

Well our little Valentine's day baby decided she want to come two weeks early and arrive on Superbowl Sunday instead.  I was laying in bed and woke up feeling I was going to pee the bed so I stood up real fast and my water broke. Johnny said it was the fastest he has ever seen me get out of bed.  So I told Johnny go get the girls up and packed and I headed to the shower. We made it out of the house and was at the hospital an hour later.  Luckily I knew I was going to have her c-section because she was breach so I didn't eat or drink anything so I wouldn't have to wait too long.  We made it to the hospital around 9am and had her 11:10am on Febuary 2, 2014. Everything went really well and she just came so fast I was in shock all day that she was actually here. As soon as I saw her I could tell she was bigger then both her sisters. And she weighed in at 7lbs 8oz and 18 1/2 inches long. 

This is my dear friend Lisa.  I have visit taught Lisa for almost two years now and we have become good friends.  She is a nurse practitioner and she convinced me to switch to their group of doctors.  So half of the time throughout the pregnancy I would see her at the office. She told me that she wanted to be there at the c-section even if she wasn't on call that day. When my water broke I called her right away.  Lisa can't deliver babies but she is the one who helps push on my stomach to get the baby out. I was so grateful to have her there because it was a comfort to me.  Johnny isn't allowed in the room in the beginning so it was nice to have someone to reassure me that things were okay.  And even though Samantha came out feet first, her head got stuck for a couple of minutes.  I can't see of course, but could tell by the Dr's voice that they were having some difficulty, but Lisa was telling me that she was fine and not to worry. This picture is one that I will cherish always. I think it is one of the sweetest pictures ever.

 First bath

Grandma Debbi and Grandpa picked up the girls and brought them to the hospital to meet their sister.  Both girls stated very firmly that they were not going to hold her.  As they walked in the room Samantha was in the "crib" and they both looked very unsure when they saw her.  It took a few minutes but eventually they warmed up to the idea of holding her.

This little girl always has her hands in her face.  On my 28 week ultrasound she had both feet and hands in her face.  She loves her face being touched unless her or your hands are cold.

 Her going home outfit.

Saying she loves to eats is a little bit of an understatement.  She eats tons, like 4 ozs at every feeding and she is only 2 weeks now, and can sometimes hold her own bottle.

Both girls have warmed up to her very well.  They aren't too involved with her but I know they love her. Lexi made her a Seahawks bracelet because she was born on Superbowl Sunday and our team won.

Best part of having a girl is dressing her up cute, but it seems to me every super cute outfit only lasts a few hours because of bodily functions.

 Another V-day outfit

Lil' miss loves to be held but is a good baby.  She sleeps fairly well and is pretty mellow most of the time. She hates being changed and if you want her really to turn bright red, put some lotion on her. Samantha has been such a blessing already in our family. She is already over two weeks and I feel like she has always been here.  She definitely looks like her sisters, and I am excited to see what her little personality is going to be and who she will look more like.

The waiting game

We have been learning a lot about waiting lately.  We wait a lot at the school to pick up Lexi. And the biggest waiting game of all is waiting for our sweet baby to come.  Danielle would ask multiple times a week if it was Valentines day yet.  :)

Even though Lexi would not talk about baby too much, it would show up more in her school work.  This one cracks me up.  I asked why the baby doesn't have a body, she said that then it would be too big.  I asked her what about drawing it laying down, she replied she didn't know how.  So our baby is just a head for now in her book.

 30 weeks belly shot.  I guess this was the last one I took.  Oh well!

 Always making faces! Could you tell it was very dry in the air that day?

I got a call from Lexi's teacher letting me know that she was getting a Starship Award.  She invited us to the assembly where she received her reward.

And probably the longest waiting game, was waiting for Samantha to arrive.  I kept very busy the last couple of months getting her bedding made and making some decor items for her room.  I loved how it all turned out. Debbi made the beautiful quilt for her crib.  It was the prefect touch!

Some of my amazing friends threw me a baby shower when I was 36 weeks along.  We enjoyed some very yummy soup, salad and bread.  And cupcakes, oh the cupcakes were all amazing and I am still craving them.

 Left to right. Amie, Katie, and Celia

 Left to right, Angela, Lisa, Becky, Sarah, and Heather

 Tara, Jodi, Jodi's sister and Tiffany

 Debbi, Erica and Tamara

 TyLeen and sweet Bexley. (I know TyLeen you are going to be mad I posted but too bad)

It was an awesome turnout and I think there was about 20 women who can for part of it.  I felt so blessed to have such an amazing ward and group of friends, but mostly for my bestie, Betsy.  I know she did tons of the work from making the invites, baking, cooking, making decor, and spoiling Samantha greatly with lots of cute clothes and shoes.  I seriously hands down have the best friend ever! And this makes me so sad that I don't have a picture of us at the shower. We seriously need to make a goal to take more pics together.