So this is Christmas.

For Christmas this year we went to Moab. Traveling with four girls was a challenge but, we made it safely. My mom had put us in a condo for the weekend, which was so nice! There was a huge kitchen and a hot tub. I was in heaven. That first night I got to see my best friend for the first time since we both had our babies! Unfortunately I didn't get to meet her new Amelia but, she did get to hold Evie. It is so amazing to look back at all we have gone through together and then see where we are now. Having someone who knows me better than anyone else is such a blessing. She keeps me very grounded. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the weekend so this may be a boring post :)
On Christmas Eve Beau and I made a big roast dinner for my fam (those who were around) and then Nat's kids came over and we decorated cookies for Santa, played scattegories, laughed too loud, ate too much food, tracked Santa, and stayed up way too late. It was fantastic. Playing Scattegories with my family is a dangerous venture. We are strict about the rules and very competitive. It's weird, the only games I take seriously are word games.
Anyway, the next morning we woke up and got ready then went over to my sisters house to open presents. Because of how late Gracie stayed up (10:30pm) and how early she woke up (4:30am) she was not super excited about opening presents. It took a good 30 minutes before she would open anything. Finally, she got the hang of it but Christmas wasn't totally complete for her until dad wheeled out her big present from "Santa" A Cozy Coupe car. Her face lit up and she was so excited. She is in LOVE with her "bike" and threw a melt down fit when we had to load it in the car to come home. We ended up driving home on Christmas, both girls slept almost the entire way, and then we got home early enough to eat dinner and put the babies to bed on time. It was so wonderful. We had such a great weekend and I am so glad we were able to be there.

Cousin Week

My mom took my nieces Maggie and Emily up to see my nephew Noah in Montana this weekend. We were lucky enough to have her drop them off at our house for the week. Our plan was to play and be together and then take them down with us to Moab for Christmas. It was a wonderful week and we were all exhausted by the end. Gracie LOVED having her cousins with her and cried when we had to finally leave them. Family is wonderful. I should have adopted a seven year old before I started having kids. Maggie was the biggest help ever and made my week with four girls wonderful.

My dad also came down for visit and he got to see the girls. They loved seeing their Grandpa and he also got to meet new baby Evie. It was nice to see my dad and visit. 

Bathing Beauty

Somebody has begun to enjoy bath time :)

Temple Square

This year Beau and I bundled up our girls and decided to take them to see the lights at temple square. The parking was INSANE but once we found spot it was worth it. Beau put the baby in the snuggli under his coat so she was nice and toasty and Gracie was wrapped from head to toe in warm clothes and snuggled into the stroller. She eventually wanted to get out and wander so we let her run. It was a really fun night to be together. The lights were beautiful.

Snow!

 This girl is a SNOW girl! She LOVES the snow

 In fact, getting her to come inside after playing

outside in the snow was torture

 Yes, I did dress her for 20 below weather when it was 

only 40 outside. I am one of those mothers.

Don't judge. Have you ever seen A Christmas Story?

At least she was the warmest kid on the block

And the cutest if I do say so myself :)

sleeping beauty

newborn pictures

 I am a Child of God

 And He has sent me here

 has given me an earthly home

 with parents kind and dear

lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

help me find the way..

teach me all that I must do

to live with Him someday...

you're so vain...you probably think this song is about you

My beautiful daughter, shown above, knows she is beautiful. She will put on my shoes, her dads shirts, a towel, any random item she can find really..then come out and say "pretty" while twirling from side to side. If I do her hair she says "so cute!" Am I giving her a slight complex? 

Anyway, I always thought that it was just what little girls did, until the other day when she wouldn't eat lunch unless I sat next to her singing "you are so beautiful to me" over and over again. It was a fluke, or so I thought. Now, that is the only song she will let me sing to her. If I start singing a different song she says very loudly "No, No, No! Pretty, Pretty!" It's her pretty pretty song. She gets the biggest grin on her face and twirls around....I think I may be in trouble.

My Girls

I just realized that my last post made it seem like I can't stand my oldest daughter. So I thought I would update everyone on our first born and let you know that she is my life. It's true when they tell you that love comes with time. I could not imagine my every day without Gracie. In fact, if she goes somewhere with Beau and I stay home, I miss her like crazy. Yes, she drives me nuts, she doesn't listen, she hits her baby sister, she cries and yells, she ends up in time out more times than not, but, she is mine. She also gives hugs, kisses, says the goofiest things, calls me "mommy" which I LOVE, she dances, makes me smile, makes me laugh, loves to be with me, is my best friend, and is the sweetest girl I know. Gracie is so smart. She loves to talk and is learning new words every day. She will repeat any word we ask her to, which is amazing, and she loves to say new things. Gracie also is such a good helper. She will help me pick up toys and if she sees clothes on the floor she knows where the hamper is and loves to put things in it. Her favorite movie right now is A Charlie Brown Christmas and will ask to watch "Brown Brown" all day. In fact, I don't even like that movie anymore because we watch it about 15 times a day....I am not exaggerating...At least it's a good show right??  Gracie is fascinated right now with the box that our Christmas tree came in. She plays in that for a good solid hour. As we are getting more used to having the baby here with us during the day, Gracie and I are getting along better. I know that sounds weird but, she was having serious issues with me when we brought Evie home. Since the baby naps most of the day, I get my alone time with my Beautiful Girl and she loves it as much as I do. We watch movies, color, dance, eat lunch, read stories, rock in the chair, than go down for naps. I have seen a change the last couple of days in her and in my patience with her now that we are more on a routine. I love my Gracie Leigh.
Evie is doing well. She eats constantly and is growing like a weed. The poor thing got the cold that Gracie had and is so congested that eating is really hard for her right now :( We squeegy her nose, put her in the bathroom with steam, use a humidifier, nurse extra, etc...but, she is still so clogged. I hate when babies get sick it makes me so sad. She is the sweetest baby still though. She has issues if I eat cheese, milk, chocolate, beans, broccoli, or garlic. Though, she does better with handling the gas than Gracie did. She cries and then stops and then cries a little than stops. Eventually she gets tired of crying and falls asleep. I love to look at her and listen to her coo. She will just sit and stare. Evie generally wakes up right after Gracie goes down for her nap so I get some alone time with her too. She is so beautiful. There is nothing sweeter than a new baby starting to be aware of her surroundings.  She is perfect. I am taking her newborn pictures today so I will post pictures soon.
I have been feeling better. I think the pains after my second were harder to deal with than after the first but, I am finally starting to get better. I am not so scared of two kids now so that is good since I am home with them all by myself every day. It's a process but I'm so grateful that I get to be a mother. I love my girls. They are my purpose on this earth. I can't imagine my life without these two beings. If the only thing I accomplish in this short life I get is to successfully raise my girls and make sure they know how completely I love and adore them, than I will have lead a good life.

survival mode

Well, we did it, we survived one whole week with two kids. I like to refer to this week as "hell week" you know, like the first week of football practice/sports practice.  Did anyone have to experience that?  In tennis we never did because we were bossy girls that didn't want to but, I sure heard about it with other sports. Anyway, We got home from the hospital on a Monday and Tuesday night Beau had to take Gracie into the emergency room because of high fevers and pain in her ears. She had another serious ear infection so when she came home you can bet she was extra clingy. I felt so bad because she wanted to be held but on Wednesday my milk came in so holding a very squirmy two year old was basically torture. Beau had to go back to work and school, my sister had to go home, and so I was left alone. On Thursday Gracie's fever finally went away and was replaced by a horrible stuffy nose and chest congestion. Also, the honeymoon period of enjoying her little sister ended quickly when she realized that this baby was not going away but staying here with mom and her. That put a little wrench in her every day plans. I have been trying to be a good mom and spend time with her and the baby but, I have not felt well. Gracie has learned to love her time out chair and she frequents it often during the day. I am grateful for an amazing husband who helps me every chance he gets. My biggest blessing of all though is the perfect baby girl that we were blessed with. Evie is a dream come true.  When Gracie was a baby she was a terrible napper during the day but, she did sleep through the night very early. Also, when she was awake she was crying. Grace never, ever just sat and looked around.  Evie is the exact opposite. She is an amazing eater, an even more amazing sleeper, and if she is awake (unless she has a bubble) she will just sit and stare for an hour. She is so mellow. Even her cry is mellow. I keep knocking on wood and waiting for the other shoe to drop because she truly is too good to be true. I think that God blessed us with a mellow baby so that I would be sane enough to take care of Gracie at the same time. One of them surely would get neglected if she was any other way (and you can bet which one that would be, poor baby).  So we have survived and I am slowly and finally starting to really heal. I am learning to survive on little sleep again and realizing that doing the best I can may mean not doing much at all but, as long as my girls are taken care of I'm fine.  I just found out I have thrush again (ugh) which makes nursing basically a nightmare but, Beau brought home some coconut oil and I can feel it working already. Natural remedies are the best. School is almost over for Beau (only one more day of classes!) and I can't even tell you how excited I am! It will be so nice to have him home until 8:30 in the mornings. I love living so close to his job.We are moving Gracie into her big girl bed tomorrow, mainly so when she wakes up from her nap if I'm nursing she can get herself out of bed but, it's time. I will post pictures as soon as that happens.  Oh, and we got to bathe the baby for the first time. She hated it. hahaha. Poor thing. She does not like being cold in any way, shape, or form. It's very different from her sister who was a hot body all the time. Gracie didn't like scrunching up her legs and being wrapped in blankets where Evie just wants to be held close, in warm jammies, and snuggled under blankets. She is a dream truly.  

Evie Ruth Gibbs

Our beautiful baby girl finally decided to join at 4:30pm on Sunday November 27, 2011. She was 16 days past her estimated due date. We are so in love. Her birth was so different from Gracie's it's unbelievable. I honestly didn't know what to expect or do. The whole time I was in labor I kept saying "this is just so different". Duh Amanda, different kid different birth.  Anyway here is her birth story. It's been a couple of days so I hope I remember the whole thing.  I was 16 days overdue and really, really uncomfortable and unhappy.  I was ADAMANT that they didn't induce me though because I go natural when I deliver and I knew that if they induced me with pitocin it would not be a fun experience.  However, my doctor told me he couldn't let me go too far past 42 weeks so he was going to break my water Sunday morning. On Saturday evening about 9:50 I starting having regular contractions. We timed them all night and about 2:30 decided to go into the hospital because I was strep B positive and needed the antibiotic.  We text Tiffany and Jens to let them know I was in labor and Jens came right over to sleep on our couch until Gracie woke up. It was a life saver! Jens got there fast and I was a basket case because I forgot to pack anything realistic for Gracie to take over in the morning (sorry guys!) My sister Natalie was on her way up from Moab to be my doula basically. We got to the hospital around 3:00am and went to get checked in. They made us wait in the waiting room for a while than they took me back and made Beau wait. It was kind of bizarre so I asked them why and they wanted to make sure I felt safe with Beau and that it was ok with me that he was there :) hahaha.  Anyway, finally they let him come back and my sister came with him.  I got my IV with the evil antibiotic in it (it burned like nothing I have ever felt) and then we just kind of hung out. My contractions were regular but not bad at all. Finally when the antibiotic had run it's course I got to walk the halls. Nat took a nap on the couch (she had been up all night too) and Beau and I hung out.  At about 6:00 we came back to the room and I took a little nap on the bed while Beau got breakfast.  Probably not the smartest thing I have ever done. When I woke up my doc was standing there and my contractions had totally stopped.  It was about 7:00am at this point so we discussed my options. He said at 8:30 I needed my second dose of antibiotic so he could start pitocin then or, break my water and see what happens OR, do both. Beau and I both said that breaking the water was the way to go so we chatted for a while then the nurse came in to administer my second dose.  When that was almost gone they broke my water. Now, when I was in labor with Gracie they broke my water and everything went really fast, this time they broke my water and I felt fine. It was 9:30 and the contractions came back but very light. So, we were back to walking the halls. I was having contractions about every 3 minutes but I could have fallen asleep they really weren't anything. Oh I forgot to mention that when I came into the hospital that morning they checked me and I was already at a 5+. Anyway, so at about 12:30pm I had my first REAL contraction. Well, what I call a real contraction :) It hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew that this was what labor felt like when something was actually happening.  So we walked as much as I could (keep in mind I am running off of no sleep. Gracie had woken up at 7:00am on Saturday morning so we had already been up for over 24 hours). Finally we went back to the room and I told my sister and Beau that I needed to get into the tub. They administered my third dose of antibiotic and then let me get into the tub. She checked me before I got into the tub and I was at a 7. So I labored in the tub for while until the contractions were just too intense. I got out and got back on the bed. My sister and Beau would hold my arms and help lift me off the bed during a contraction and that really helped because I was having intense back labor which I had never experienced before. The Doc came in to check me around 2:30 and he said I was probably still only at a 7+ or and 8. UGH!  I was so frustrated because at this point I was SO tired that I couldn't even breathe through contractions. I just kept saying "I can't do this I'm too tired. I can't do this" Luckily my birth team was awesome again and they really helped.  At probably 3:30 Beau suggested I get back into the tub because that really helped last time so I got back in but that only lasted for probably 40 minutes before I had to get out. I overheat when I'm in labor so I was very warm. After I got out I asked for a birthing ball so I could labor on my hands and knees for a few minutes. I felt like I needed to push but she checked me and said I was only at a 9 so it wasn't time yet. I had been sitting on a rocking chair until she brought in the birthing ball. She wanted me to sit on it and I said "no way" I needed to roll. Anyway, I was kneeling on the floor with Beau on one side and my sister on the other when I told the nurse that I needed to push. She told me not to because I would rip my cervix. I told her too bad I needed to push so, I pushed.  I told her again that she better get the doctor because I needed to push again and I could feel the babies head. She she casually walks out, gets my doctor, and comes back. He comes in and looks at me on the floor and I said "I HAVE TO PUSH" and he said "ok".  I don't think at this point he was taking me seriously. So I pushed again and the head was crowning.  The doctor, who was just standing in his scrubs, not even suited up to deliver, tried to get me to get on the bed and I said "no it's not going to happen I am having this baby now" he walked around, saw the head, and ran back to the nurse to get scrubbed in. HELLO PEOPLE I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A CHILD IF I SAY I HAVE TO PUSH AND THE BABY IS COMING THAN GET YOUR DANG ACT TOGETHER!  Sorry, had to get that out.  Anyway the nurse pages "all available nurses we have a situation come as fast as you can" hahahah. Six nurses came in and one said "oh my gosh" apparently people don't deliver on the floor very often at Ogden Regional.  Anyway the doctor runs behind me, with only one glove on, I push one more really hard push and out comes my blue baby.  I knew something was wrong when they wouldn't give her to me.  I asked if I could have her and they said "no", had Beau cut the cord, and rushed her to the table. I still didn't know what was going on but when I saw Beau freaking out, and my sister freaking out I assumed it must not be good.  I still hadn't heard her cry so I was starting to get really nervous.  Apparently she came out very blue and was progressively turning more blue. The doctor said her lungs were full of fluid that wouldn't come out so he massaged her belly and chest until she finally coughed up the fluid and started crying.  Music to my ears. It was about 2 minutes but felt like an eternity.  Finally after delivering the placenta, stopping my hemorrhaging again (though it wasn't nearly as bad as when I had Gracie), and sewing me back up they let me have her.  She was perfect. 8lbs 4ounces 20 1/2 inches long. Born at exactly 4:30pm on 11/27/11  totally worth the wait. She nursed right away and has been eating like a piggy ever since.  We love her.  They wouldn't let Gracie come see her because of RSV and all that other stuff but, they let me go home less than 24 hours later. It was much harder than Gracie's labor. I think because I was so tired from not sleeping that I just didn't have the energy to do what needed to be done. Luckily Beau and my sister were there to hold me up (literally) and I was able to pull through.  Now, I'm a mother of two and it is crazy. :) Many are wondering about her name.  When she came out we looked at each other and knew that this wasn't our Stella girl.  We had talked about it a few weeks before that maybe Stella wasn't next but, once we saw her, we knew it wasn't her.  The name Evie had come to me a couple of weeks before as we were brainstorming other names we liked, and kids we thought would be in our family one day.  That night, after everyone had left, Beau and I looked at our beautiful baby girl and knew that her name was Evie. Her middle name, Ruth, is my grandmothers name.  She is one of the strongest, most amazing women I know and deserves to have a great grandchild named after her.  Evie means life and Ruth means friend. We know that Evie will be a life friend to all she meets.