Amsterdam Day 3 - Ryan

There is an outdoor market on Tuesdays and Fridays. I love it. It makes me so happy. We bought dried mango slices. About 300gm of it. And two things of bread.

I rode side-saddle with my mom on Jac's bike. She rode and I held onto her. I can do it with one hand. It was fun. 

I got a bike today. It is blue and gray. It has gears 1, 2, and 3, triggers and hand breaks and peddle breaks. I love it. 

Love you all. 

Love,

RYAN

Amsterdam Day 2 - Jannica

My thoughts on moving to Amsterdam first two days

The first day for me was not really the best. I thought that it was the longest day in my life (I have some pretty long days too). When we got home I thought well... This is my new home... I had to get everything out of my suitcases from my summer break at my moms house, then I went outside on our upper porch and found a good place to sit. When I sat down I started thinking of everything at my old house and how it would be so great to just not deal with moving and stay there. I started thinking about my friends and how I was doing at school. I just started to bawl. I was just wishing that I could go back home. After a while I got over it and decided I need to stop grieving and just make the best out of living here. It isn't very easy to do that but so far I think I have tried my best to give this place a chance. I just dealt with it and I helped my dad build my wardrobe from my room. We went out to eat at McDonalds which of course was gross but that wasn't the bad thing about it. My family was so tired that we just started getting on each other's nerves. When we got home I wrote in my journal then I just went to bed. 

The next day was a lot better. We all had gotten a lot more sleep. Once everybody was awake we went on a team and my dad and I got bikes. After we got bikes ordered we had a while till they were done so we went to go get some food. 

After we got food we went out to the daily flea market. We just walked through and looked at things. Once we were done with that we went to the Rijk's museum and looked out on the park to see a portrait of Van Gough made with flowers made by the people from his hometown. 

We didn't go inside the museum because we had more planned for the day. After that we split up. My dad and I went to go get our bikes and the others went back home to chill out. The bike ride was a long way back to our house. We finally got home. A while after we got home the guys from our air shipment was taking things into our house. When they left we started unpacking. After we unpacked a little I put things into my wardrobe and I haven't finished that yet. Hopefully by the end of this week it will all be done. So overall I think that this move has been an interesting experience. 

Day 1: Our Adventure Living in Amsterdam

We arrived at the Amsterdam airport after a 10 hour flight from Salt Lake City. The kids slept a good 4 or 5 hours, which you know is going to make for a wonderful day. We excitedly exited the plane to pick up our bags. We had to get three baggage carts to carry the 19 bags, 3 car seats, and 3 pillows. Our plan was to go get a plethora of Ubers in order to take all our luggage.  Jaimee piled into the first one with the three little kids leaving me with Jannica and Ryan, and what felt like 30 bags. Our Uber pulled up not quite knowing what was about to hit him. But he was a good sport and helped pile in all the bags. It turns out that he had been my driver a month ago when Jannica and I came on a business/pleasure trip, business for me, vacation for her.

Once home we staring unloading all the bags, unpacking, and putting all the IKEA furniture together. At this point we hadn't eaten much and we hadn't slept much. We yelled at each other a bit, and whined a lot. At one point, Jannica was even bawling on the rooftop patio because life sucked so much. We went and got some food at a local Dutch restaurant, McDonalds and our spirits were slightly lifted. We finished up the rest of the IKEA furniture and hung out around the house. By the evening, everyone was feeling much better and more importantly the place felt like home.
And just so you know how tired we were, Charlie fell asleep on the hardwood floor next to me while I was pounding away putting the kitchen table together.

We are tired, ornery, and a bit disorganized, but we are happy.

Close Call

 Today while mowing the foot and a half high grass in the yard, I hit a particularly thick patch. I pulled back the mower to go over it again and saw a grey thing wiggling in the grass. I could not tell what it was at first. I thought it might be a weird lizard or newt or slug or something. I gotta be honest, I kinda freaked a little. I gathered my wits, cut off the mower and took a closer look.

 

 

This is what I found!!!! The camera is right next to him, he is so small, I could fit three of him in my hand, I think.

Do you see the place on this sweet guy's back where the blades twisted his fur? And there are at least three other little guys under him! I get sick thinking of what could have happenend. This is in part because it would not have been the first thing I inadvertantly hit with the mower.

Any-hoo. Cam and Bev and I googled what to do when you find a bunny nest in your yard.

 

 

You cover it up like you found it and leave it alone.

But don't worry, we will keep an eye on these sweet guys to make sure Mommy comes back to take care of them.

On a side note, bunnies drive me nuts. They eat my garden and are totally direspectful of me when I yell at them to get out of my yard. Every time I decide I am getting a bb gun to deal with them and their evil cousins the squirrels, I find a baby bunny. My heart then melts and I am back at square one. Yelling at bunnies and squirrels. 

 

Kisses

Last night Charlie gave Ryan a big we kiss before bed. After the kiss she wiped her mouth and giggled, then said "that was a marriage kiss. You know, you kiss on the mouth when you get married."

Just Random Cute Things

Everytime Bev hears a loud noise she yells, "Wah' Dat?" and looks around much like you'd hear a Saints fan yell, "Who Dat?"

Everytime Ryan gets out of the shower, she dries off in the bathroom and then runs upstairs as fast as she can, buck naked which means she has to run through pretty much the whole house.

Cameron tells me that I'm his "braybrit mommy" but also likes to tease.  When I tell him that he is my favorite Cameron he tells me that I am HIS "braybrit" Cameron.

Cam loves to get close to wherever Charlie is and sing to him. You are My Sunshine is his current favorite to sing over and over.

Beverly falls down ALL. THE. TIME.

Today I was telling someone that Cameron really loves his mommy and he heard  and piped up "uh-uh I do"

Uh-Uh is Cam's new answer for everything. It could mean yes or no. It is very noncommital.

I can hear Jac singing in the shower. I always know she if she is happy because she sings to herself.

Cam also loves to sing and can carry a tune quite well.

Bev loves to sing now, but she CANNOT carry a tune.

Cameron and Bev were so excited to see that the corndog they got today had a hot dog inside. They kept yelling and telling me the great news.

Beverly is starting to talk a lot more. She yells pretty much everything she says, but she does talk more. When she wakes up she will tell me "wook, I up" and at least ten times a day I hear "ont duce" (meaning I want juice, meaning I am thirsty may I please have a drink?) And "Ah det owwwt?" (meaning I get out, meaning May I please get out?)

Beverly always need a kiss if she gets hurt. She can be the one to give it a kiss, as long as the owie gets a kiss.

Cameron always needs a bandaid if he gets hurt. The crying stops pretty quickly if a bandaid is applied.

Cameron studdied my face today and said "you are not mean at me?" I said no and he said "you are not mean at anyone?" He was checking to see if I was mad because I had just told a lady that I needed three extra hands since I was holding Charlie and trying to navigate a sharp turn in the long golf cart.

If anyone gets in trouble Cameron is the first to say in a know it all voice "but I am not (whatever the person is doing), see mommy, I'm not."

Ryan is making her lunch for tomorrow "so you guys don't have to get up early to do it" It is Halloween, she is wound up on candy, it is waaaaayy past bedtime. I think this idea has very little to do with her not wanting me to have to get up early.

I can hear Cameron snoring. He is exhauseted after this awesome Halloween we have had.

Jannica is growing up and maturing so well. What a sweet girl she is becoming.

Ryan had a piano party last night. She was nervous about playing in front of everyone, but after the party she let me know "I did really good. I think I was the best one there." When I asked how Jac did, she said she did good too, "but even if I messed up I fixed it, so I did my best."

Jannica did play well, she is so musically talented.

Beverly sits on the potty and yells, "MOMMY! I GO POOP, I GO POOP A-YAWT! I DET CAMBY NOW!" Whether she pooped or peed, she is very excited and ready for candy.

At one point today I had Bev on the potty, Cam on the little potty and Charlie needed a diaper change. I am surrounded by poop.

I love it when I am feeding Charlie and he catches my eye and smiles up at me as talks while his mouth is full.

The kids love Charlie. They love to talk to him, make him smile or coo. Ryan loves to hold him and is so patient with him. Cam pretends Charlie is kicking him in the head and then belly laughs. Beverly likes to bring him toys and look him in the eyes from 2 inches away.

Cam says I want to go play then slumps his shoulders and sighs "but I can't because I hab a broken leg." in the saddest voice you have ever heard.

Beverly follows me around the house copying my every move. I smile, but it almost makes me feel stupid, like she is moking me or something. She has this coy little smile while she does it.  

Hello Charlie!

I am slow to get this posted, but I wrote it while I was in the hospital. So glad I did, all the little details are so easily forgotten!  

  Thursday morning at 4 am Cameron woke up crying because his ear hurt. When Cameron is in pain EVERYONE is miserable. So I spent til 7 am trying to keep him happy and coax him into taking medicine to feel better. The girls got up and went to school and I told Kelly that I was having pretty painful contractions every 10 minutes or so. He was coming home early to get ready for our induction on Friday anyway so it was no big deal. I had had contractions before that had fizzled out so we did not expect much from these. I really did not want an induction this time though, so I was a little excited. At nine I got ahold of the doctor for Cam and they told me I could come in at 11:30, but the contractions were still coming so I mentioned that I was in labor and asked if could I come sooner. The lady told me to get in there right now. I loaded Cam and Bev up and we were off. The office staff got us right in and were so sweet. The doctor came in and checked Cam (who was a "berry brabe boy," just ask him) and found he had an ear infection and was wheezing. GREAT! The doctor told me good luck and we were out the door within 25 min of arriving. The contactions were now 7 min apart and I decided that if Cam was wheezing then maybe I better get Bev checked (her cough was worse and had been around longer).

     So we got into the other doctor (because why would I have my kids at the same doctor?) very quick and did not have to mention labor pains at all. The contractions slowed way down at this point and I was feeling a touch irritated. So Bev was checked and diagnosed with BRONCHITIS! Freakin! Just what I want to bring a baby home to, sick siblings.

     Next we were off to get luch for Ryan, because I had not packed one for her, then to the school, then back to chic-fil-a for drive thru lunch for the babies, over to Kroger for prescriptions and home. By the time I had come home it was 1230, I was grumpy, kids needed naps medicine and breathing treatments and I had called Kelly to tell him not to come home early because I was not getting induced because the kids were sick. I got Bev medicated and down to nap, and the contractions started up again. I texted Kelly to just come home because I was over this day, and got my grumpy boy down for a much needed nap.
     When Kelly got home the contractions picked up to every 7 minutes again, and I started cleaning. (Kelly's job was to watch the kids and make sure I was left alone). Ryan got off the bus, I left to get Jac from school to get her to church in time for a temple trip and then I ran to the bank to deposit co-op money.
     As I was going to the bank I called my sister and had two big contractions while I talked to her and then talked to another friend and had one while I talked to her, I could not talk to them during the contractions. I was getting excited again.
     So I got home, finished cleaning the bathroom, and did Bev's hair, the contractions stayed at 7 ish minutes but strong and steady. Kelly took Ryan and Cam to Cam's baseball game and Bev and I came 20 minutes later. As I drove five minutes to the field I had two contractions and then back to back ones walking from the car to the field. The game lasted 20 more minutes and by the end of the game the contractions were 2-5 minutes apart and I was ready to call the doctor. I had Kelly take the kids to their babysitters and told him to meet me at home.
When I got home I called the doctor and she told me to come in and have a baby. I was a little freaked by that point and called Kelly to tell him to get home. That guy must have been driving so fast because he was already on his way home. I packed up our last few things and got a popsicle and waited by the car for Kelly. He pulled up and we were off.
     I had several more contractions on the way to the hospital and told Kelly to park and we would walk in. It took FOREVER to walk in because I had so many contractions on the way in. But, we got there and they put us in a room.
     Labor and delivery was very busy and so we waited an hour for the nurse to come in and check me. When she came in (8:30pm) I was a five, and the doctor called and said she would be in to break my water after she finished dinner. The contractions were not horrible yet, but pretty painful and I was beginning to lean toward getting an epidural.
     I told the nurse I wanted an epidural at 9pm and she gave me IV fluids and monitored me for a while. The doctor came in and checked me at 9:45 and said I was at 7cm and asked if I wanted to keep going with no epidural. I was 100% sure that I did not, so she said she would break my water when the epidural was in. She walked out and things got crazy.
     I was shaking uncontrollably, I knew I was in transition but didn't want to say anything because I wanted the epidural. The nurse had me sit up on the edge of the bed and the contractions started being more painful than ever. I was moaning and wishing I could cry, but it hurt too bad. I was trying to relax and breathe through the contractions and was doing ok after the peak of each contraction. Kelly was in the hall for 2 contractions with a friend who had brought food for him and those were the worst two. I could handle sitting on the edge of the bed if Kelly was there. I yelled for the friend to leave and come back after the epidural and then Kelly was back. They say they didn't hear me, but I felt like I was screaming.
     At around 1030 the anesthesiologist came in for the epidural and as he was marking the spot on my back I had a pushing contraction. I told the nurse all panicky that I needed to push, and she told me we could stop the epidural at any time. The anesthesiologist said, "just hang on, I can get this in real quick." I was hurting so bad, I just wanted it in. So the anesthesiologist kept working, and I knew it wouldn't be fast, I have seen these done a ton of times, but I kept thinking that he would get it in and I would feel all better. Each contraction I had a stronger urge to push, and with one of the contractions my water broke. He got the epidural catheter in and gave me a dose of medicine as I yelled that the baby was coming, and why could I still feel everything?! The nurse told me to lay down, but I couldn't move. I  was so scared that he would come flying out of me.     
     So Kelly grabbed the top of me and helped me lay down and the nurse took a quick peek at the bottom of me and called the doctor and everyone in because the baby was right there. The doctor came in and before they could break the bed down she told me I could push. BUT IT STILL HURT! I kept asking why I could feel everything. But I had to push, the urge was just so strong. I was scared that I would tear in half, and Kelly says I screamed like in the movies one time. It is all such a blur but they were saying go ahead and push and then 2 seconds later telling me to stop pushing and then one more push and he was out and on my tummy instead of in it.
     Kelly suddenly appeared at the head of my bed, but he says he was there the whole time. I was worried because Charlie wasn't screaming, but they kept telling me he was breathing and was pink and was fine. He was just looking around and working on breathing and so mellow. At one point I tried to give him to the nurse to make sure he was ok, but they told me I couldn't because he was still attached to me. Then Kelly was cutting the cord and there we were with a new baby. It is still a blur.
With Cameron and Ryan it seemed like everything happened in slow motion, and was so peaceful. This baby came in a moment of chaos, but maybe that is because he just needed to be prepared for the chaos that was waiting for him at home.
We love our Charlie! He nurses like a champ, he does not cry for very long and is easily soothed. He is a beautiful little guy. I am so happy to finally have him here with us!