family

family

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

whobody is getting ready for Christmas?


1. Get a Christmas Tree (check.)
We went to our favorite Christmas tree farm on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend and got our perfect Christmas tree.  We had lots of fun, and stopped at Pizza Hut on the way home.  We just love cutting our own Christmas tree....but this one has taken SO much water. In fact, the night we left to go to the hospital for Cruz's birth, Jason told my mom "well, the kids will all sleep through the night...but the tree needs to be watered every 3 or 4 hours...."  (it isn't quite that bad...anymore.) 

2. Visit Santa (check.)
Keaton was the 1st to hop on Santa's lap....he shared his list and then Lola started...
BUT Nash butted in and forced his list to the front
(he had NO FEAR) 
Great pic of all 3 kids with Santa...Cruz was in the car with Daddy...as he was only 6 days old.
Nash & Santa
3.  Have a Christmas Program at Church (check.)
Keaton was Ceasar & Lola was the star...they were both very proud.



4.  Have a school Christmas program (check.)
it is always SO hard to get good pictures of these concerts...but I actually got one of the kazoo playing that wasn't INCREDIBLY blurry. 


5.  Let Baby Cruz visit Santa too (check.)
Cruz & Santa at the Reimer extended family Christmas.


Well...almost there. I am almost caught up on my blogging before Christmas.  Only a few more to go (I think...) We are excited for Christmas...now I just need to get some presents wrapped!

whobdy had a great 5th birthday?

The week after Lola's birthday, she had 3 friends over after preschool for a little lunch and birthday party. 
Lola is BIG on streamers and balloons, so I did what I could with our chandelier.

Lola and one of her presents! She really loved them all!


her cake! (thank you wal-mart and mini marshmallows) 


Lunch was complete with nuggets and fries and cheeseballs from Thoma's.


Lola and her friends! They really had a wonderful time and got along so well!!!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

whobody is the newest 5 year old in the house?

Well....Lola is finally FIVE! She has been looking forward to this day for a long time...and it finally came. :)  The day started with pink pancakes with candles....
Then...we just had a relaxing day at home....until after 'quiet time'.  Then it was time to PAR-TAY!  Below is our first family picture with Cruz (and Texy, of course...'cause it is her birthday too).

We invited the Grandmas & Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles and cousins over for a party!  The kids, of course, had a blast with their cousins...and enjoyed the pizza and cake and ice cream!



And...of course...Lola got lots of great gifts....that she really really really loved. (She wanted me to put that on my blog...) 

In one way, I can't believe that Lola is 5....BUT it also seems like she has been 5 for a long time (or 16...).  She is really growing up fast and is really a sweet girl with a big heart.  She is very daring and brave....and loves to be sporty and....well, dangerous. 

We are going to have to keep some tight reins on this girl....

Happy Birthday Lola!  We love you very much!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

whobody is "Cruz Ship"?

So....Cruz will be three weeks old tomorrow and I cant believe how fast the time has gone.  He has been a VERY good baby...but I realize that we are still in the honeymoon stage.
The instant we got home from the hospital, Keaton and Lola met us at the door....and ran to the car to look in the carseat....and then stayed by the carseat and looked at Cruz (and talked to him) until I got him out.  They are in love with him.  Both of the older kids have been very helpful around the house and in entertaining Nash while I am caring for this new little Reimer.

The proud BIGGEST brother.
This was taken right after Nash woke from his nap when we got home from the hospital.  He came out of his room, ran over to me and the baby giggling....and instantly gave his beloved blankie to Cruz! (now, if you know Nash....you know that his blankie is GOLD.)
Here is Lola, Cruz, Grandma Reimer, and Nash. 
Our 4 children....(wow, that is crazy!) 
The sweetest big sister...who has now nicknamed her littlest brother
"Cruz Ship".
and....finally....we let Nash hold Cruz.... (this usually takes place after bath time for germ purposes)

Nash really has been great with Cruz. He has been very careful around him (which...for a kid who is usually overflowing with....energy? is pretty big)  He giggles every time I bring him into a room and says "Baby Coo....Baby Coo" 
and here is an eyes open picture....So sweet!  Sometimes I think he looks just like Nash as a baby....but then others he looks just like Keaton. My plan is to sometime in the next few days round up the newborn pictures of all 4 kiddos and compare!
Daddy & Cruz!
snore.
my 2 babies.

I had to take this picture because I have one exactly like it of
Nash in that outfit....

my little boys....
sleepyhead.
This was the morning of Lola's birthday....she wanted a picture
of her and Cruz AND Texy.....
All in all things have been going very well... I have had wonderful help when needed and now that I am not so sleep deprived, I have been enjoying this new little one.  What a blessing.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

whobody got to meet Cruz at the hospital?

Okay...so I wrote out my birth story....and I am SO glad that I have a good record of it. (Even if it is for the world to see :)  Now I thought I would post my other pictures from the hospital.... Looking at these I CAN'T believe how big he is!  He doesn't really even look like a newborn in these pictures (especially with Keaton and Lola!). 
Well...Keaton and Lola came to visit Cruz (and me) at the hospital the day after he was born.  They were SO excited and proud.  (note: Jason and I decided that we would not let Nash come because he had a nasty cold....that is why there are no pictures of him with Cruz....yet) .
 It was a balmy November day....and Lola was just wearing a tank top (Okay...it wasn't warm at all...but she tends to strip down to her base layer of clothing no matter what the weather....she DID have the cutest sweater on at school that day).  She loved holding Cruz...and just kept giggling.  She did request that I do not dress him like Keaton and Nash on Christmas....because then she would be the only one not dressed like them. Too cute.
 Keaton was also very happy to meet Cruz...and couldn't wait to go back to school and tell his friends about his newest baby brother.  He has really been a big help!
Lola, Keaton & Cruz!


Mommy & Cruz

 
Cruz & Bompa Sheryl (my dad)


 Cruz & Grandma Piano (my mom)


Aunt Tessa & Cruz (my sister)


Uncle Steve & Cruz (my brother in law)

 

Don't you just want to KISS those cheeks??? He is GREAT!

Cruz & I really enjoyed our time in the hospital, but it was MUCH too short. The care there is SO great (as long as you get the right nurses :).  I really lucked out this time and had wonderful nurses who were so personable, easy to talk to and caring. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed these pictures from the hospital. I am hoping to keep getting some posts up over the next few days of pictures of Cruz....our preparations for Christmas....and of course Lola's birthday..... stay tuned!






Wednesday, November 30, 2011

whobody is the new baby of the family?

cruz.marvin.reimer
born 11.28.11 @11:10 p.m.
9 lbs. 21 1/2 in.

Well, well, well. I am so excited to introduce you to Cruz, our new little baby boy. He is SO SWEET and I can't wait for all of you to meet him!  I am here in the hospital still, about ready to leave for home, and I thought that I would take my some of my last few moments of peace (without the other 3 children) and type up a quick post about his birth.  (I only got 2 more paragraphs written, and then was interrupted by the lactation consultant who will never leave...and then all the discharge from hospital stuff....so here I sit, one week after he was born,  ahem....now make that 2 WEEKS... finishing this post....I DID have it finished, but then when I went to publish it last night it wouldn't work....and then shut me down and saved nothing!!!! Augh. So frustrating....oh well. Hopefully I will have a little time today to get it finished up.)

As I sit here and snuggle my new little bundle I just want to cry because I am SO HAPPY he is here! I have just been holding him all morning...and I have enjoyed every. single. minute. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this brand new baby time...especially the delivery and the time in the hospital. I am so amazed by the MIRACLE of life and the blessings that children really are. 

Well, the purpose of me typing this right now is so that my facts are straight and so I can have a good record of his birth story. THAT being said....I am going to include details....details that you might think are over the line or TMI (especially if you have never had kids).  SOOOOOO if you are going to judge me, be grossed out, or feel like I crossed a boundary I will write a quick synopsis for you....then you can read the paragraph below....and glance at the pictures....and then be on your way. For those of you not minding the details...read the long version below the picture.

CRUZ'S BIRTH DAY (short version)
We got to the hospital at 10:50.  The doctor 'checked' me and broke my water at 10:55.  The doctor left the room. Cruz was born at 11:10.  The doctor did make it back in time to help deliver his shoulders and feet.....but just barely.  The end. :)





Yes...this is my 4th pregnancy....and Yes...I have a history of short labors and pretty fast deliveries...and Cruz's birth was no exception. Now, just because my labors are fast...they are anything but easy.... :) but, the fact that they are fast, makes them a lot easier to handle without an epidural or anything. (Mostly because there isn't even time to think OR talk about getting an epidural). For Keaton's birth I had an epidural...for Lola's I did GET one, but it had not taken effect yet by the time she was born...and with Nash AND Cruz I wasn't even admitted to the hospital yet when they were born. Now...my true labors are short...but I have contractions...constant contractions...and sometimes pretty hard contractions throughout the last 2 months of pregnancy. Since about September, I have been having contractions pretty much every 15 to 20 minutes...sometimes I was able to sleep through them, and sometimes the pain would wake me up....or keep me up all night. I was VERY sleep deprived by the time I delivered Cruz. So, even though I have short true labors in the hospital....I feel like I am in labor for the last 2 months of every pregnancy. I look at it as a marathon that ends in a dead sprint.

Cruz's birth story (long version)
I had my 28 week appt (yes, this 9 lb baby was 2 weeks early) on Monday morning. I had been having contractions for a couple of months....sometimes strong, sometimes not so strong....but I always feel like my body is a millimeter away from going into labor once I hit about 36 weeks. At my 38 week appt, my OB, Dr. Berger, 'checked' me and said that my cervix was dilated 3 cm. (which it had been at since 36 weeks) but he thought by the looks of things I would be going into labor pretty soon. After my appt when I walked out into the hall from the exam room, he flagged me down and said "Marilyn is working today....here talk to her on the phone!"


back story: when Nash was born...my nurse was Marilyn. She was WONDERFUL. With Nash I showed up at the hospital at about 3:30 or 4...I was having very strong contractions, but wasn't progressing very quickly...I think I was just dilated to 3? Marilyn wanted to wait to admit me until Dr. Berger could check things out and make the decision of whether I could stay or not because I was his patient and he was on call as soon as his office hours were over. SO....he came at about 5:45....he said I was dilated to 4 cm.... broke my water and said (and I quote...) "I'm going to go home and change into my cowboy boots and then come back and deliver a baby tonight!" we said "okay..." and he left the room. THEN about a minute later....a HUGE 11 minute very painful contraction happened....which I am sure involved a little cussing and yelling....and then suddenly....Nash's head was delivered. At this point, it was just Jason and I in the room....Jason casually strolled over and declared "that HAS to be a boy" by looking at the baby's face....and then Marilyn, the nurse, came rushing in along with about 6 other nurses and helped deliver the rest of the baby. I sat there shaking, holding my brand new baby boy, while the nurses brought in the warmer and everything else that they usually have ready BEFORE a baby comes. We signed the papers to be admitted and treated after the fact.... It was CRAZY. In just 12 minutes, I went from dilated to 4 cm to delivering a baby in just 12 minutes. Marilyn was excellent...and because of this we had a special connection. (I have also run into her when Nash was in the hospital for pneumonia last winter and when i have visited other friends and babies in the hospital). Both Jason and I are pretty sure that Marilyn was one of my nurses when Keaton was born too. 






So...I got on the phone and Marilyn told me that Dr. Berger had called and warned her that I was probably going to be coming in and she might be delivering another Reimer baby today. (She was on duty til 6 pm) She said "if you come in I am totally handing off any other patients to someone else....See you soon!" This of course got me all excited....so...to play it safe, I hung around Dubuque for the day....just because with Nash....I drove home from my appt, picked the kids up from school and then turned around and came back to Dubuque with jason and had the baby. I finished up my Christmas shopping (I think.) and Lola's birthday shopping....and I had contractions the whole time...and Yes...they were a little stronger than normal, but not by much. Finally at 2:30 I gave up on going into labor and decided to head home. (very disappointed....) We had a pretty normal night around home. I actually sat down and typed up a post about how READY I was to meet this new baby, and how I was hoping to have him/her soon. 






It was about 7:30 and Keaton was reading his nightly books to me....and I noticed that my contractions were actually getting stronger and a little more painful....so I started to keep track of the timing.  They were 12 to 15 minutes apart....but were getting stronger and stronger. I told Jason "we just might be able to go tonight!"....so we put the kids to bed like normal and then I laid down to watch TV and keep better track of the timing of my contractions.  by 9:15 they were regularly 11 to 13 minutes apart (which may not seem close, because most people don't go to the hospital til their contractions are 5 minutes apart) but we knew with my history we should head to Dubuque. We called my mom and when she got here we headed South. We arrived at the hospital at about 10:40 and by the time we got taken up to the 5th floor and to our room it was 10:50.  The nurse asked about my contractions (which by this point were 8 to 9 minutes apart, and getting pretty painful) and then gave me the beautiful hospital gown to change into.  When I got out of the bathroom the doctor was already waiting for me in the room (luckily he was there already for another patient).  This was a doctor who I had seen before for other pregnancies, but really didn't know very well, Dr. Tinsman.  He gave me a little speech about how since my contractions really weren't very close he doesn't expect that I would be dilated very far so he would most likely be sending me home. 

I told him that we would just have to wait in the parking lot then.... :)  He 'checked' and said in a very surprised voice "you are at a 7!" I said "7?" he said "yes, the number after 6, 7..." (I was hoping for 4 or 5.... I was ecstatic!) Jason  made some crack about not making us leave then, and Dr. Tinsman said, "well, obviously with your history, you won't have time for an epidural....Do you just want me to break your water and we will have a baby?" I said, sure that sounds great...and I quickly reminded him that Dr. Berger had missed Nash's delivery...and how fast things went after my water was broken.  Dr. Tinsman reassured me that he wouldn't miss it....and he would only be 40 feet away....not out of the building.  I also asked him to guess the size of the baby by feeling my belly...his guess 7lbs 2 oz.  He broke my water and left the room.  Shortly after that, I had my 1st contraction while hooked up to the monitors....it was a little stronger than my previous ones had been, but still manageable.  Jason, as always, just giggled and observed....and the nurses were just getting things ready for baby to come (at least this time the warmer and everything was set up).  A few minutes later, I had my second contraction.  Now, the second one was A LOT stronger, and I knew it wouldn't be long.  The nurse, Jen (who was EXCELLENT, by the way) said "you just need to let me know when you feel the need to push" and I answered "I'm definitely getting close to needing to push....."  and then Jason piped in "I give you 1 minute and 30 seconds to have that baby, because when he broke your water I told myself you would have a baby within 14 minutes....so that means your deadline is 11:10"  we all laughed, and then my next contraction began. YIKES.

This was the ONE....I first whined that I needed to push....and the nurse calmly told me to try to wait....to blow through it.... then I started yelling that I needed to push.....she still told me to wait until the doctor came.  (Turns out, as she told me later, that they CAN'T tell you to push because they will get in trouble....)  I stopped listening to her, and just pushed, and the baby's head was delivered with no Dr. in the room AGAIN! Can you believe it??? Crazy.  So, he finally came strolling in to deliver Cruz's shoulders and everything else.  No one really announced the baby's gender, but when I looked down I COULDN'T believe he was a boy! I was sure my baby was a girl!  I was SOOO happy to be over the hill of labor and delivery....and to finally meet my 'little' baby. We snuggled for awhile, and then they took him and weighed him.  When the nurse announced that he was 9 lbs....I couldn't believe it (and Dr. Tinsman seemed surprised too).  He was (and is) perfect.  His blood sugar was a little low after birth, so they did feed him some formula right away...but other than that, his health is perfect!
So....of course, after he was born....and Jason was done giggling, and I was done shaking....Jason signed the admission and permission to treat papers for me....and some extra nurses came in to help Jen out because she hadn't even gotten to START the admission charting...or anything else for me.  The only person we called that  night was my mom.... I told her that we would call her and tell her if they were keeping me or not. I called her at about 1 or 1:30 and just said "well, I guess they are going to keep me." and she said "what did you have?"  (she is so smart).  We finally got moved to my permanent room at about 2....and then Jason headed back home (he thought he would sleep better there and be able to help get the kids to school in the morning....AND share the news with the kids).  By the time I got settled in the room they brought Cruz in to nurse again.  He had his bath and the nurse Rachel, was SO GREAT with him.  She said that he was too big to fit into any of their sleepers except this "Baby's 1st Christmas" one...and she also explained that she couldn't help but style his hair into a mohawk......  She was great.  I finally got to bed at about 5AM....only to get woken up by breakfast at 6.  Oh well....I will say that one hour of sleep is NO way to start out with a newborn.  It took me at least a week to feel like I could function again.

The 1st morning at the hospital was filled with doctors and nurses and rounds and lactation consultants...and so on. They had to cram everything into one day that is normally spread out into 2 because he was born just before midnight.  You only get 2 nights in the hospital after the baby is born....so my first night was already done! This was my only real day in the hospital. (that sucked, by the way) Jason came down mid morning, and then my parents brought Keaton and Lola to visit in the afternoon (Nash had a cold, so he stayed with Grandma Reimer).  Then that night my sister Tessa and her husband Steve came to visit.  We were exhausted, so I was glad that was it.  By 8 pm, I was SPENT.... the next day we ended up coming home in the afternoon. 

I love the time in the hospital. I love the excitement of labor and delivery....and I love calling friends and family and telling them our news!  It was so great telling Keaton and Lola...they are truly so excited....(Nash...not quite something he can comprehend over the phone yet).  I could have definitely used another night in the hospital....but what can you do?   My nurses were once again EXCELLENT...Jen and Rachel were awesome, and my nurse from Nash, Marilyn, even stopped in to visit!. 

Well...I have to say that I feel SO very blessed. Four wonderful, healthy, beautiful children.  God has truly been good to us...and I thank him daily for our kids.  It is just such a miracle... and I just can't believe how great each and every baby is.  It is funny....when keaton was born my thought was "I can't have any more kids, because there is no way I could ever love another one like I love him"  and then we had Lola....and now 2 since.... and now when they have each been born my thoughts have changed....now, I KNOW you can love each one just as much as the last....and each one makes you love the others even more.  Now, when my kids are born I think...." wow, this is amazing and I can't wait to see how they grow and change and find out their personalities...." and so on.  Each child just makes me want to have more! (I know, I know....I thought I might be done after this pregnancy....but now I am not so sure....crazy, huh?)
I do know one thing.  Each child just makes me love Jason more and more too. Yes...when I am tired, I get sappy. :)  He is just so great! He keeps me grounded and puts up with me well.... I am so happy to have the giggly husband in the labor and delivery room to break the tension....  He really doesn't help with anything (and he knows it) but he is watching everything, and being an advocate for me with the nurses and doctor.... and he is a breath of fresh air for me.  Even, during recovery and my first weeks at home, he puts up with me very well. When I am tired I cry.  I cry because I'm happy, I cry because I love Cruz, I cry because I love the other kids, I cry because this might be my last baby, I cry because I can't give as much time to the other kids right now as I would like, I cry because the throw pillow isn't in the right place on the couch, I cry because the cereal isn't put away, I cry because there is a green pea on the floor.....I cry because Cruz is already getting so big, growing so fast, and changing so much.... through all of these tears....which are finally subsiding because I have finally caught up on my sleep....jason just puts up with me...and keeps me grounded.  He is So level headed, and always reminds me of what is important in life.  I am so thankful for him and our wonderful life together!! We are truly blessed.
Praise the Lord!