Two Kids, One Month

Emma is one month old! I can't believe how quickly this month flew by. I guess when you aren't sleeping through the night your perception of time just gets thrown off. Most days I feel like I'm living from feeding to feeding to feeding or from Will's nap time to bedtime to morning to nap time again. I sleep, eat, get dressed and shower when I can (in that order of priority). My days are filled with 2 kids' diapers, lots of spit up and piles of dirty laundry that I feel like I just washed yesterday. I'm exhausted and don't always get to keep up my own personal hygiene and some days I just cry... but right now I can't help but feel so grateful. I love my family.

Emma has been a pretty easy baby. She wakes up every couple hours at night, but most of the time she'll wake up, get a diaper change, eat, and go to sleep. (Not always, but usually.) She doesn't cry much, but when she's unhappy she really lets us know. When she does cry there's usually a reason (she tired, hungry, wet, or needs to burp). She loves to be held and she especially loves to sleep on people. We call her our sleep drug--when you hold her and she falls asleep you can't help but take a nap. She sleeps a lot but when she's awake she has the most intense, serious gaze. She's got dark blue eyes but they're starting to get lighter. I think they're going to be gray-blue like Taylor's instead of blue-blue like Will's. She has lots of dark brown hair that sticks up in the back. After she gets a bath her hair gets fluffy and sticks out all over. It's funny but it's also really cute. 

The only thing that we're not crazy about is that she spits up A LOT. Like every single time she eats! I'm not sure who gets more spit up on their clothes, me or her. Her doctor said not to worry about it because she's gaining plenty of weight (which is nice to know) but seriously, I hope she grows out of it soon. Will did not spit up this much when he was a baby.

Other than that, she is perfect. I love having a girl. I love dressing her up in her pink, purple, lacy, delicate clothes with bows and flowers (and thanks to the spitting up I "get" to change them several times a day). I love snuggling with her when she's completely "milk drunk". I love the funny faces she makes as she wakes up, stretches and scrunches her entire little body. I love that she has a little point on her left ear that makes her look like a cute little elf. And I love that she snorts when she's hungry. I'm in love with our little girl.

(2 weeks old)

And then there's Will. 

This little boy suddenly grew up. He looks older, sounds older, acts older. He loves, loves, loves cars. He still plays with cars all day and now takes at least two cars with him wherever he goes including into his crib to sleep, in the car, on walks, to church, and even puts them on his high chair when he eats. When he's not playing with cars he's watching the movie "Cars".

He talks my ear off all day long. He's got his own language that I can't understand most of the time but every day he surprises me with new words (or I figure out what he's trying to say). Here's a quick translation guide of just some of the things he says:

"ba" = ball or bed

"mo" = more or milk

"hemi" = help me

"homi" = hold me

"taya" = car

"sheena" = Lightning McQueen (from "Cars")

"heena" = Harrison (his best friend)

"oomi" = orange = clementines (he eats like 4 a day) or goldfish crackers

"gayeray" = gatorade

"dree" = drink

"appy" = apple

"shay shay" = change (as in "Change my diaper. I just pooped, Mom.")

And his most commonly said word (and the most accurately pronounced): "Baby!"

Will loves Emma. I was worried when he ignored her in the hospital but as soon as we brought her home he was obsessed with her. Everyday he says, "Baby! Baby!" over and over. He gives her sweet little kisses. He helps me by throwing her diapers away. He tries to give her a pacifier when she cries. (Unfortunately she's not a fan of the pacifier, but it's cute that he tries!) He tries to snuggle with her but I'm trying to teach him that he's heavy and shouldn't squish her. When she does tummy time or lays on the floor he lays right next to her. He wakes up from naps and goes to see the baby. We go out in public and he points to the baby so everyone can see her. He is a great big brother. Sometimes it gets crowded when I'm trying to nurse her and Will's trying to snuggle her. Sometimes he gets a little aggressive in his affection and he pokes her in the eye or squishes her. And sometimes his help isn't quite welcome or needed, but he tries so hard to be a good brother. I love getting to watch their relationship together and I love both of them so so much. Taylor and I have been so blessed.

Emma's Birth Story

Four weeks later, I'm finally getting around to writing about Emma's birth. She is as beautiful and perfect as the day she was born and we just love her so much.

A couple weeks before she was born my doctor let me know that she would be out of town for my due date. Although she said I was welcome to use one of the doctors she would have on call, she also gave me the option of being induced before she left. I was a little hesitant because I didn't know much about the process so I told her I would decide closer to the date. I was actually hoping that I would just go into labor early on my own because I was really, really tired of being pregnant. I even thought I was going into labor one night for a couple hours until my frequent contractions just stopped altogether. So on Thursday November 14th I went into my appointment and decided to schedule my induction. I was ready to have this baby! The earliest I could do an elective induction was at 39 weeks so I scheduled it for Sunday, November 17th. 

It was strange getting ready for it. The day before, we tried to finish unpacking a few last things from the move, we made sure we had everything packed for the hospital and for Will to stay to stay with friends, and that night we went to the grocery store and stocked up on easy dinners and frozen meals. As I waddled through the store I kept thinking, "I'm having a baby tomorrow!"

We woke up early Sunday morning, Will got picked up, and we left for the hospital. Everything went so smoothly. I thought Will's birth was easy (well, as easy as births go), but no, Emma's was even easier. We got there around 7:30, but by the time we checked in and they asked me every medical history question ever they didn't start me on Pitocin until until about 9:00. Taylor and I played Five Crowns while we waited (a card game- I won! Even with my contractions getting more intense). They broke my water around 11:00 and that really kicked things into gear. Because it was Sunday the anesthesiologist was on-call instead of at the hospital and my nurse warned me that I would need to give them a half hour to get me an epidural. I'm glad Taylor was there with me. Instead of letting me try to be a hero and go through more pain than I actually needed (or wanted) to, he went ahead and told them as soon as I started to get uncomfortable. By the time the anesthesiologist arrived, I was glad I hadn't waited longer. I got the epidural around noon. The next few hours were pretty uneventful. Taylor ate my lunch from the hospital (I wasn't allowed to eat anything... and I was starving). I took a nap.

Around 4:00 my nurse came to check on me. She switched the pillow I was lying on to my other side and said she would check my progress in about 30 minutes. Right after she left I started to feel a lot of pressure. They gave my epidural a boost, but I still felt a lot of pressure. So the nurse checked my progress, had me try pushing for about a second then said, "Okay! Don't push until the doctor gets here because this baby's ready!" While we waited, Taylor said, "Let's bet on her weight!" I was uncomfortable and the last thing I wanted to think about was how big she was. But the nurse guessed the same as Will (7 lbs 12 oz), Taylor guessed over 8 lbs and I just guessed 8 lbs so we could stop talking about it. And I was right! Since I had to go through labor at least I won the bet. (Except I don't even think we bet anything beside bragging rights...) The doctor got there as fast as she could, sat down, and about 2 minutes later (maybe even less) Emma was born. I didn't even have to wait to push with contractions. 

I had some tearing but other than that everything went perfectly. I felt like I recovered more quickly, nursing wasn't this bizarre new and painful thing this time, and the best part? I delivered in time for dinner! And anyone who knows me knows that a fed Heather is a happy Heather.

I kept waiting for something to go wrong or for the hormones to kick in (and thus the panic/breakdown that goes with it) but it didn't happen. (Not at the hospital at least. The hormones kicked in once I got home and realized that I had TWO kids now!) I let the nursery watch Emma at night so I could get some sleep and I even got in a little photo shoot of her the day after she was born. 

I decided I didn't want a bunch of visitors at the hospital so the only people that came were my grandparents, my relief society president, and the most important visitor: Will! I was so nervous for him to meet her. He mostly just ignored her. Wouldn't even look at her. He was more interested in jumping on the mattress that they brought in for Taylor to sleep on (just one night--such a good sport to sleep on such an uncomfortable bed). But thankfully that changed when we brought her home and he just says, "Baby, baby, baby, baby!" All day long.

Emma Moss

Born 4:36 PM

8 pounds

20 3/4 inches

Isn't she beautiful? The first thing I thought was that she looked just like Will when he was born.

Our first family photo! (Ignore the awful hospital gown...) Our growing family of four.

Almost there...

At over 38 weeks pregnant, I'm feeling very ready to have this baby. It's been a relatively easy pregnancy (considering I've had a toddler to chase around this time) but I am so done with it. These last couple weeks I haven't been sleeping well, so instead of lying there frustrated and uncomfortable I decided to be more productive and write a blog post. With any luck, it will be the last one I write before baby girl comes!

Our biggest news is that we moved into a bigger place! We are still in the same area, but we now have a 2-bedroom town home with a lot more space instead of a tiny 1-bedroom apartment. It feels great to feel less cramped, especially with the new baby on the way. Will is adjusting pretty well. He loves to go up and down the stairs by himself and shuts every door in the house pretty much every day. He thinks it's hilarious to shut us out of a room or lock us in the closet. He also likes to sit out on our front steps and look at the parking lot. Taylor and I are enjoying having our own room (for about a week until the baby comes) and not having to sneak in at night with all the lights off. I personally love all the storage and closet space we have! We have an actual pantry cupboard in the kitchen, a big closet in each bedroom, a Harry Potter closet under the stairs and a laundry room/storage area downstairs. It seems silly to be so excited about it, but it really is a huge difference from our old place and we are loving it. On another note, I would NOT recommend moving at 38 weeks pregnant. I'm amazed we pulled it off. Taylor was out of town at a trade show for work all last week, so I was in charge of getting the apartment all packed and ready to go. Thankfully, I had lots of help from amazing people at church and it didn't take very long to get everything packed. One friend came and packed my whole kitchen in a matter of hours! We also had a really good turnout on Saturday to help Taylor pack and unload the truck. I was pretty useless and did a lot of "supervising" and "directing" from the couch, but we got everything moved in. People have even been coming to help us unpack. We are so blessed to have such wonderful, willing friends. (But I still never want to move while pregnant ever again.) :)

Will is almost 22 months old and he is at such a funny age. He is finally starting to pick up on more words (or at least half words) and his little language makes us laugh all the time. He says Mom or Mama, Dada ("danuh"), football ("footah"), truck ("tuck"), ball, bed, or bear (all "ba"), cereal ("see"), shower ("sha") and he imitates what we say a lot more. Today I asked if he wanted some fruit and he said "foo". When we ask him to say, "I love you" he smiles and says, "iieee". He loves to yell "byeee!" or even "bye see!" (Bye, see ya). When he has a dirty diaper he comes up to me, pats his diaper and says "Shay, shay" (change). Then while I change his diaper we take turns saying, "Eeewww!" 

He is VERY opinionated and when he doesn't want something he very emphatically shakes his head and says, "No, no, no!" "Will do you want to take a nap?" "No, no, no!" "Do you want some fruit?" "No, no, no!" "Do you need a time out?" "No, no, no!" When he does want something, instead of saying yes or nodding his head, he exhales as if he's relaxing or just finished off a glass of some refreshing drink. "Do you want to go outside?" "Ahhh." "Do you want some crackers?" "Ahhh." "Do you want to watch a movie?" "Ahhh."

He is finally going to nursery for both hours at church, but you'd think it was torture for him based on his reaction at the end of sacrament meeting. We don't even have to say anything anymore, he just knows that after we say the closing prayer and people start standing up to go to Sunday school that it's time for nursery. In a matter of seconds, he'll go from sitting quietly on Dad's lap and sucking his fingers to full-on tearful sobs. But then he calms down a few minutes after we leave him in nursery and he has a great time playing with all his little friends. 

I am excited to see him as a big brother. I think it will take some getting used to for him, but I think he'll be great. I don't know how much he understands what's going on with me being pregnant, but he does know something is about to happen. He's been a lot more snugly and needy lately, so I have been trying my best to take advantage of it. He is normally so active and busy I don't get any snuggle time with him. Plus with the baby coming I know I'll be pretty busy so I've been trying to squeeze in my last "just Will" time before things get crazy. He's been a good sport and we just love him so much. Sometimes I can't believe how big he's gotten. Part of me wants to keep him little like this forever but the other part is excited to watch him learn and grow. 

Being a wife and mother is the best choice I've ever made. I know I'm in for some sleepless, crazy months in the near future and there will be days where I won't feel in control of my life AT ALL, but every day I'm reminded of the joy I feel every time Will learns a new word, gives me a big smile, or comes to me for a hug or to kiss an owie better. I love being a mom and am excited for our baby girl to finally make her debut.

Will's New Ride

About a week ago, Will and I went to borrow an egg from a friend in our complex and came back with a new toy! Turns out her neighbor had recently moved and gave them this awesome car--but they already had one like it. So she asked if we wanted it and Will absolutely loves it. We use it for a lot of our walks now, especially if it's just a short walk to get the mail. At first we brought it into our apartment but Taylor and I got tired of pushing him around the apartment all day so now we leave it outside after walks, even though Will is not happy when we do (and very vocal about it).

I decided to take one of these walks as an opportunity to take *a lot* of pictures of Will. He is usually so wiggly it's hard to get good pictures of him. With him sitting in his new car not only was he happy and cooperative, but also restrained. :)

So happy!

Honking his horn.

You did what?!

Smug little grin.

Showing me where his cheeks are.

Almost smiling...

Getting better...

Cheese!!

And I don't think I will ever get over how cute these two are together. Best buds forever. I love them. :)

18 things about our 18-month-old

Will does so many funny, cute things these days I wanted to write at least some of them down.

1. Will loves personal hygiene more than any kid I know. If Taylor and I even mention showers, baths, or brushing your teeth around him he will drop whatever he's doing and run straight for the bathroom in excitement. By the time we get in there after him he's already reaching on his tiptoes for his toothbrush or standing by the tub yelling, "Sha! Sha!" (Shower) and trying to climb in. It's great for when we actually want him to brush his teeth or take a bath, but not so great when we don't.

2. Will is obsessed with shoes. He brings me his shoes or my shoes several times a day and isn't satisfied until I put them on. He's smart though. He knows which shoes are mine, which shoes are Daddy's, and usually brings me a matching pair. He also knows that if I say, "Do you want to go for a walk?" that means we all need our shoes before we can go.

3. He almost always eats with a fork. I have had to revert back to cutting up his food into small pieces so he can pick up individual bites with his fork. This includes sandwiches, quesadillas, and other things that the rest of the world eats with their hands.

4. His current diet consists mostly of quesadillas, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, bananas, yogurt, Go-Go Squeeze applesauce pouches, and milk. Sometimes I can sneak in other foods, but usually he just hands them right back to me.

5. His favorite snack (this week) is Craisins. He eats them like candy.

6. He loves to jump--especially in his crib (holding on to the rail so he can get extra air), on the couch, and on our bed. He also loves to do butt pounds on the bed.

7. He sleeps with two JellyCat stuffed animals--a giraffe and a teddy bear, a green blanket, and a blue car blanket in his crib. Whenever we get him out of his crib he has to hand us each of these items before he lets us pick him up and take him out. He then picks one (usually his bear) and runs away to go play. 

8. When Will reads books to himself he says, "Bwah, bwah, bwah, bwah.." I wonder if that's what he thinks I sound like when I read to him...

9. His favorite sounds are "sh" and "t". He often combines these sounds while he jabbers, adding him to the ranks of Hamilton grandchildren who accidentally swear all the time. (Along with cousins Jude and Layla.)

10. He loves all things with motors. Cars, trucks, airplanes, and helicopters. He points out all the trucks ("tuh" or "tuck") on the freeway and knows that the answer to "Where's the airplane?" is pointing out the window or up to the sky. His favorite book is "You Can Name 100 Trucks" and he usually makes car noises while he looks at it.

11. He is my little helper. He likes wiping off the table after he eats, cleaning windows and mirrors with me, going on "errands" around the apartment (like picking something up off the floor for his pregnant mom), putting his books in the bookshelf, and even knows how to throw his own diaper away. Granted, his help is often pretty useless or counterproductive (he'll pick up his toys just to take them all out again or throw his diaper away and grab something else out of the trash...gross), but it's pretty cute and it keeps him busy. Sometimes I'll just give him a paper towel and say, "Can you clean?" and he'll go find something to wipe down. He's also a pro at sweeping carpet. 

12. Everything that slightly resembles a phone is a phone. Phones, remote controls, iPods, toys with lots of buttons, calculators, thermometer... he holds them all up to his ear and talks.

13. He suddenly started to wear hats and sunglasses. Until about a week ago, he refused to wear them for more than a few seconds. Then one day he and Taylor went for a walk and Will wouldn't leave until he got to wear a hat and sunglasses like Daddy. He didn't take them off the entire walk. He also likes to wear his sunglasses on his head instead of his eyes. (Like a headband)

14. He pretty much has his own language, but sometimes when we're really trying to understand or when he's trying to imitate us, it sounds like words. So far his most clear words have been mom ("mah" or "bom"), dad ("da" or "dan"), sock ("sah"), shoes ("shuss"), truck ("tuck"), and outside ("sie"). He's also getting really close to Jesus "zuss" but that's only been a couple times.

15. He does not give kisses or hugs. Instead, if you ask him to give you a kiss he'll bend his head down and allow you to kiss him on the forehead. He also likes to run towards us as if he's going to give us a hug but then turns around at the last second and allows us to give him a hug.

16. He used to be really good at animal sounds but lately I think he's gotten tired of performing for us. So he's gotten lazy and all of his animal sounds have gotten shorter and sound more and more alike.

17. Will is a total Daddy's boy. He loves getting ready with Taylor in the morning, including putting on deodorant and styling his hair. If he's not napping when Taylor leaves for work, he gets SO sad and cries by the door for 5 minutes after he leaves. He also gets so excited when Taylor gets home. Sure, Will loves me too and we have lots of fun together but they just have a special relationship. I love watching the two of them together.

18. Will loves to throw. We've been trying to teach him to only throw balls (instead of food, toys, shoes, or the occasional fork) and he's been doing much better. When he throws balls he's actually pretty good at it. Now we just need to teach him how to catch.

And since in two days he'll actually be 19 months old... (I started this post a couple weeks ago)

19. For a while we would ask Will, "Where's the baby?" And he would point to himself. Then he got a little closer and would point to his stomach. Now he finally points to my stomach, not his. But he also tries to lift up my shirt every time I ask so I have to be careful not to ask him in public. I still don't think he really gets what's going on but I know he's going to be a very loving, playful, helpful big brother. Taylor and I love him more and more every single day.

July 2013: Midway

I'm slowly but surely working my way back to the present. But first, I have a few more things from July. 

The week after my family left California we headed up to Utah. Last year, we went to a cabin in Midway with our friends, the Wrights, and at the end of the trip we said, "We should do this again next year." And we actually did! We are planning on making it an annual thing. They have a family friend who graciously lent us their cabin for the second time this year and it was a great few days. 

On Wednesday, Taylor and I stopped in Provo to visit some friends then stayed the night at my sister Michelle's house. We headed up to Midway on Thursday. That night, after nervously putting the kids to bed and crossing our fingers that they would be able to fall asleep in the same room (it actually worked out pretty well), we ate, played board games, and watched half of a movie. I think we must have all been tired from traveling and/or vacationing with family (it takes a lot of energy with kids and the Wrights had a family reunion the week before, too) because we all fell asleep during the movie and then we all took naps before noon the next day. Luckily, it rained all morning and the babies had to nap anyway so we just enjoyed a slow, lazy start to the day. Once the rain cleared up, we spent the rest of Friday and Saturday hiking, driving through the beautiful mountains, taking a tour of the Heber Valley Artisan Cheese Factory (complete with cheese tasting at the end--I felt so cultured and yet so hick at the same time...), getting shakes at Dairy Keen in Heber (both days), doing a family photo shoot of the Wrights, and eating and playing more games at the cabin.

Will was a trooper the whole trip. It's really hard to be a little kid on vacation!

You get worn out being carried on your dad's back...

And your parents let you take bites of Daddy's oreo shake at Dairy Keen until you just can't... eat... anymore...

Will's favorite part of the trip by far were these red chairs. There were four of them at cabin and he loved sitting in them, rearranging them, trying to pick them up, pushing them around, and doing it all over again.

Will (18 months). I can't believe how big he's getting.

Benson (9 months). I just love those fat cheeks and rolls!

These boys cracked me up. Will could not sit still. Benson was totally content to sit, watch, and suck on his fist or his bottom lip. Someday they will actually play together.

Taking a break to watch Taylor and Jordan at the grill.

And speaking of Taylor, he's such a good dad. Will just idolizes him.

Best buds.

The whole group. Unfortunately, two babies in this cabin was pushing it and with the addition of our little girl in November we decided that we've outgrown it. So next year we'll have to do our annual weekend at the cabin somewhere else. But it's been a fun two years in a row--we're excited for year number three!

July 2013: Hamilton Family Reunion

Every year for the past few years my family has gotten together at my parents' house over the 4th of July for a reunion. This year, however, was the last time that we'll be having that reunion at our childhood home here in California. My parents have now moved but we decided to have one last hurrah at the house before they left. The whole family came: my parents, my siblings and their spouses (including 2 pregnant women) and 8 grandkids (including 4 one-year-old boys).

We kicked off the week with "Mormon Night" at Dodger Stadium on Friday, June 28th where Elder Jeffrey R. Holland threw the first pitch to... drum roll.... my dad! It was pretty cool. He got a Dodgers jersey with his name on the back, a close up on the big screen and, most importantly, he caught the ball! We were so proud of him. We also got to meet Elder Holland (one of Taylor's biggest role models) and I'm pretty sure it was one of the most exciting moments of Taylor's life. Ranks right up there with getting engaged to me and seeing the birth of our son. (joking... but only a little) :) 

At the game with my sister Brooke. (Will stayed home with a babysitter.) Michelle and Caton, Ryan and Trisha, and Peter and Linda were also there with us.

Elder Hamilton (Dad) and Elder and Sister Holland on the field.

The only bummer about the night was that the Dodgers lost brutally... 16-1. Ouch.

We spent the next few days trying to survive one of the WORST heat waves EVER. Unlike the lovely 80 degree weather we normally enjoy here in California, it reached 109 degrees at one point! It was awful. We spent most of that day in the pool or lying on the couch inside complaining about how hot it was (or at least I did... pregnant and hot are not a good combination). It eventually cooled off a little and the kids spent all day in the water anyways. 

Because we had so many babies and non-swimmers, we made good use of the hose, pool toys, and buckets. That way we could keep the pool gate locked and keep the kids entertained and cool. It also led to an epic water fight between Aunt Brooke (with the hose) and all the grandkids (fully clothed and loving it).

Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandma keeping the 1-year-olds contained.

Will's go-to outfit.

Loving life.

Learning to share.

Cute Isaac.

Noah vs. Brooke.

Noah-zilla.

The winner!

Her casualties:

Will.

Jack & Noah.

Dane.

In this picture Eve is in the background explaining to Layla that she needs to take off her dress and put on pants instead... because she doesn't want to get her dress wet but it's ok to get her pants wet. So many funny kids.

We spent most of the rest of the week swimming, napping, and watching Alvin and the Chipmunks or Barbie Pegasus with the kids. We also saw Despicable Me 2 with all my siblings and the older grandkids (almost took up a whole row at the theater), ate at The Habit more than once, saw fireworks on the 4th of July, went to Zuma beach, went to the park to wait for the house inspector to leave and made/ate some classic Hamilton meals (shishkabobs, taquitos, Bubba burgers). 

We also took family pictures. You know what happens when a bunch of adults are trying to get 8 kids to look at the camera and smile?

This...

And this...

I really love my family. :) We don't have our childhood home to meet at anymore but we'll still manage to make great memories wherever we are.