It's been tooooo long....

Well, it has been so long since my last post that I don't even know where to begin. I have quite a few pics to show, lots of things I could talk about, and am so tired I promise I will forget everything important! hahaha

Let's start with pics some pics I have readily available....(more to come tonight after the kids go to bed.)

Kolton: He is doing great. Growing up so quickly and definitely into the terrible twos. Everyday holds new and exciting adventures, as well as challenges. He can put his shoes on by himself, but hates clothes. He takes his diaper off every time he pees in it (please be a sign we are getting closer to potty training). He is still the pickiest eater ever, but gets so hungry I can usually get something down him he supposedly "hates". He is sleeping through the night again, but has now had 2 real sleepwalking episodes. He has a temper just like his dad. He is super independent and is quick to show his frustration by throwing a toy across the room. He weighs about 31 lbs and is 38 in tall. He asks questions nonstop and now LOVES TO SWIM. In fact he takes private swim lessons AND city swim lessons. He is a fish! Below is a ribbon he just won at swim for floating on his back by himself! We are so proud of him!!!!!!!!

Saying Goodbye::::

Here are the babies growing up so quickly. It seems like yesterday Katie, Erica, and I were "charting" are temperatures hoping for that positive pregnancy test. Now are babies are 4/5 months old. But, as we all know change is constant and we have had to say goodbye to our first friends. Erica, Tim, Jackson, and Bianca moved home to San Antonio. It was so sad, and Kolton still doesn't understand why he can't play with Jackson. I don't think these things will ever get easier. I just hope that somehow in the future we can take another one of these pics with the 3 babies all grown up. We miss you Mohr family!

Saying Congratulations!!!!

Over Mother's Day weekend I packed up Karson, kissed Ben and Kolton goodbye, and drove to Newport Beach to watch my baby sister graduate college. I am so proud of her. It was really hard to be away from Kolton and Ben on Mother's Day, but so amazing to watch BB graduate! We had a wonderful weekend together and Karson even was kind enough to explode in the middle of the graduation ceremony! hahaha Here's to my sister and her future, may all of her dreams come true! She deserves it!

**on a side note, after graduation I drove down to San Diego to see my cousin, Jess, who had her first baby, Jaycee. She is the most beautiful baby girl ever! These are some of the pics I will try to download tonight!!!

Karson: The day I got to Newport Beach Karson turned 4 months. He is amazing. At his 4 mos appointment he was 20lb 4oz and 27 in. He is 100% for weight and 97% for height. I fondly refer to him as chubs or squishy. He smiles all of the time and loves to play. He recently started sitting up and needs just a little support. He is big and strong. He wasn't sleeping very well, but I have worked really hard the last two weeks and he now (...knock on wood) sleeps through the night. I can't say enough about how wonderful his temperament is. The only thing the baby doesn't like is the car. Lets just say I heard a lot of crying on the drive to California and back!

Finally, me and Ben. We are great and really tired. We have been working very hard and just got back from a whirlwind work trip to Arkansas. We worked the FLW tournament there. What a beautiful place Arkansas is and how NICE, and I mean NICE the people are! VERY different from here. It was a great trip, fun and tiring. I will try to post some fun pics tonight from this trip as well!

Happy Memorial Day, btw. Thank you to all of the men and women who have served our country. Thank you to my father for serving during Vietnam.

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Soul Mates....

So for those of you in the know....it is NO secret that Kolton has found his soul mate, Annagail. Since the day these two first met they have been in love. So it was fitting that when Katie and I got pregnant at the same time we would be happily surprised to find out that we were having the next pair of soul mates, Harper and Karson. Well, naturally we thought it would only be proper to have their love documented.......hence the pictures posted below of our beautiful kids!!!! Save the date for a double wedding in about 28 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The big smooch after winning her over with a flower.

Annagail consoling Kolton.

Annagail stares in puzzlement...kind of the same way we all do when our men throw tantrums.

I call this the engagement photo.

I had to throw it in....ISN'T HE ADORABLE!

Ahhh....love....

Planning their elopement......

The new couple!!!!!!!

2 Month Chunky Monkey & Picture Pages...

(I wrote this 3 weeks ago....just took a while to finally post it!)

Karson had his 2 month appointment today. He is doing better then the norm...literally. He is topping the scales at a whooping 15lbs3oz, or 98th percentile. He also grew 2 inches in the last month and is 24 3/4in, or 97th percentile. I told you the boy loves to eat. And that RSV setback didn't phase him at all! Goooooooo Karson...

I know you aren't supposed to compare your kids....but lets do for the fun of it. :)

Kolton Karson

Weight/Height Weight/Height

birth 8.1 lbs/22 in 8.5 lbs/21 in

2 months 13.7lbs/25 in 15.3lbs/ 24.75 in

After 20 seconds of holding Karson, Kolton always screams, "He's tooooo heavy!"

My favorite monkey!

I have about a million pictures of Kolton closing his eyes like this! Stinker.

Karson LOVES his bath!!!

Karson and Daddy!

Kolton with Croup....

These pictures didn't show up with the post for whatever reason. But here is my little man with Croup. :( so sad....

Cuts, Croup, and Coughs

Whew....I am sooooooo happy February is over with. What a month. Started out great with Kolton's birthday, but we were in for a dousy of a ride after that. So I will try to be brief and condense the craziness for you....

1. Cuts

Kolton got his first real haircut. I was REALLY scared, but it turned out to be a piece of cake, or really a piece of candy (or a few) that made the haircut go so smoothly. I have to say that his long, shaggy hair really looked cute in a surfer dude kind of way. But now he looks sooooo much cuter! At least I think so.

2. Croup

Little did I know (Although you can see it in his eyes in the haircut pics) Kolton would get REALLY sick that same day. He took a nap and woke up with a 104 F temp and a cough that was really scary. After doing everything I could to get through the night I took him into the Dr. the next day and he was diagnosed with Croup before the Dr. could get all the way through the door. I guess his seal cough gave it away. Poor Kolton spent a week on the couch really ill, this included Valentines Day in which he slept the WHOLE day!

While most people were out being romantic this was our Valentine's Day.

I snuck these pics in because Karson turned 5 weeks during the Croup incident.

3. Coughs.......

If you have ever nursed a sick toddler while taking care of your newborn you know it is no easy task. Now throw in the husband who has gone to Alabama for work and you're destined for disaster. The day I took Ben to the airport Kolton was feeling better, but I was feeling bad and Karson had started to cough and become congested. Ben's parents picked Kolton up that night to watch him overnight so I could try to get some rest with Karson. But that night turned into a long night of nursing a sick newborn. The next morning I had my 6 week post partum checkup and didn't think much other then I and Karson were rocking colds. By that afternoon Karson could barely breathe. I rushed him to the Pediatric Hospital where he was diagnosed with RSV. For those who don't know RSV is an epidemic cold that makes you and I sniffle and can cause serious issues for small children and infants. Karson was hospitalized immediatly. So, for the next 4 nights and 5 days I was awake by my newborns side while he recovered in the hospital. But remember, not only was I sick, too, but Ben was out of town. Thank God for my close family and friends who jumped to my rescue and took care of Kolton and me. Thank you to Ben's parents who watched him that whole time. To Erika for bringing me food, clothes, and deoderant! To my dad for just being there. And thank you to everyone who offered their love and support.

Karson and Dr. McKernan at my 6 week check up. This picture was taken just hours before he was really sick and hospitalized. :(

All I can say is I am sooooooooooooooooooo happy February is over. And I hope the spring brings a renewed sense of calm, happiness, and good health to this household because we could sure use it!

Terrific Two's and One Month Wonders!!!!!

Well, we've been sooooooo busy around here that I am really behind on updating this thing...and will have to go back to add pictures from lots of events. But for now I thought I would give everyone a quick sneak peak at my little men!

Karson is a month old today. I love the pictures below because you can really see how much he has chunked up from 3 weeks old to a month. He is a crazy eater and some days I feel like a walking milk machine. It is so nice that he is great at nursing, but hard at the same time since I feel strapped down and not able to give Kolton as much attention at all. Karson does NOT sleep through the night (which no newborn should so I hate that people even ask if he does, especially breast fed babies.....). But he is relatively laid back and easy going. He loves a pacifier (Kolton didn't), and hates to be put down. He does seem to like the vibrating bouncy (another thing Kolton did not like), which does give me the chance to play hands free with Kolton. :)

Needless to say. Things are tough. I'm not going to lie. But we are starting to figure out schedules and routines. Ben is working like crazy. He rarely takes a day off, but we take full advantage of it when he does. However, his long hours and crazy work schedule do make me feel like a single parent with a newborn and a 2 year old. All of which qualifies me for the insane asylum, I'm sure.

Last week Kolton also turned 2~~ We had a wonderful birthday party at the train park with lots of friends and family. I will post pics as soon as I get them up. On his actual birthday Ben took the day off and we drove up to the snow and took Kolton sledding for the first time. He loved it instantly. Again I will post pics asap.

He seems to be adjusting to his new roll as big brother. Although he is mostly indifferent, he does help out a lot more and seems to want to give kisses a lot more freely. :) Just today Karson was crying and Kolton found a pacifier and held it in Karson's mouth. It was really adorable. As you can see below Kolton still thinks the bouncy and swing are for him as well. He likes to use the bouncy as his recliner while he watches TV. It is so cute. He is growing up too fast, and he is so much fun to be around. We are struggling with his bedtime routine now, and he does try to pull a fast one to get out of bed by saying he needs to see baby Karson, but we see through his cute facade!!! He is mischievous, that is for sure!

LIfe as a family of 4....FINALLY! :)

Christmas Day

My labor story:

After the previous post on the evils of the week of induction I marched into the Dr's office ready to tell the Dr. to shove his induction and no more then 15 minutes of waiting for him the hospital calls and tells me to come in. Hmmmm.... figures.

Anyway, so I apparently was close to being in labor on my own anyway. I was 3 cm and almost fully effaced when they first checked me. I was given the smallest dose of pitocin which immediately put me into labor. Within 30min of being admitted I was given my epidural (AWESOME!). Things happened so fast. 30 minutes after that they broke my water and I was immediately 5cm. In an hour I was 6cm. Then I stalled for 3 hours. I was so depressed. But suddenly I started feeling a lot of pressure and my nurse said, "let's check you just in case..." Well, I was 9 1/2 cm. WHOA! Ben and I freaked out. They let me labor down for about another hour and had me start pushing. After only 15min of pushing the nurse was yelling at me to stop because they needed to get the Dr. in. As soon as he was there I gave a few good pushes and the next thing I knew the Dr. told me to, "Reach down and grab your son." So I actually got to pull Karson out and onto my stomach. Although that may sound gross it was actually one of the most cherished moments of my life. Absolutely amazing.

So for the hardest pregnancy I was blessed with the most wonderful birth! Thank you Karson!

Well, we are home and happy to be home. Trying to adjust has been difficult and challenging, but well worth it. I couldn't believe how quickly Kolton changed. The tantrums have been bigger, MINE has become a favorite word, and he actually developed an evil eye that beams in my direction if I am holding Karson. It makes me sad. I expected the changes and challenges and with each day there are the little things that make me smile. Like when Kolton brings Karson a pacifier out of the blue. Or when he rubs Karson's head and gives him a kiss without being asked to. I have hope that my "new" Kolton realizes that mine is now "ours" soon and that Karson is a wonderful blessing for our family. :)

An induction nightmare...still waiting....

So who do I yell at?

I can't yell at the nurses when I call labor and delivery. Lord knows they are working their butts off every day and night. They are so sweet when I call.

I can't yell at the scheduler at my Dr's office because she is just doing what my Dr. tells her to.

I can't even really yell at my Dr because he is trying to deliver babies, see patients, and raise his own family. Being a business owner I appreciate that the guy needs his own life, too.

So who do I yell at? I can't take this anymore. Oh...I guess I should update you on what has been going on FOR THE PAST 4 DAYS. Maybe then you will at least want to yell with me to get some frustration out.

This is a picture of 3oz of gold...the exact amount I needed Karson to add to his weight at 36 weeks to qualify me for a medical induction.

The story:

I was scheduled for induction initially on Dec. 29th, but rescheduled to Jan. 4th (Monday) because they were all booked. For those who don't know I am an elective induction decided on by my Dr. because at 36 weeks my baby was only 100grams (3 oz) away from being a macrasomia baby, qualifiying me for a medical induction. That means the baby was/is BIG. So here I am, riding the line of needing a medical induction like I had with Kolton at 36 weeks because of the babies size. Only now I am 5 days from my due date, so I can't even fathom how big this guy is at this point.

Moving on to Monday. Waited, called, got the same story every couple of hours....we are full, we'll call when a bed opens up....waited. Then Tuesday morning the hospital tells me they'll call in the afternoon, while the scheduler at my Dr's office tells me they won't call me if I haven't been called by the morning and I will probably be rescheduled. So I wait, not knowing who to believe.

Monday evening I call L&D (labor and delivery) they tell me they haven't called because my Dr. rescheduled me for Wed. night. Gee. Thanks for anyone calling me to tell me. I am such a wreck from not sleeping and the anxiety of all of this that Ben and I decide to leave Kolton at his parents again so I can get some sleep.

Wednesday morning I wake up feeling refreshed. Settled. Ready to make a plan. I decide that if I get bumped again I am going to march up to my Dr. and tell him to shove his induction where the sun don't shine. I am 5 days from my due date and will let nature do what it was meant to. Ben and I spend the day with Kolton...a wonderful day....and then drop him back off again at his parents. My spirits begin to decline. The 3rd night away from my baby Kolton.

Wednesday night I wait....I call....I'm smart enough to go to bed this time. Good thing I did because I wake up from dreaming about yelling at my Dr. and see it is already 4am. NO CALL. The nurses in L&D tell me they see a light at the end of the tunnel and I should be called after 7am. I watch a movie and go back to bed at 6am. Wake up at 8am and decide this is over. I'm done.

So here we are. I just called L&D again and they're telling me to go about my day and I should get a call in the afternoon. Ya f'n right. I call my Dr.'s office and of coarse the scheduler doesn't answer her phone. I decided I will bug her ever 30min until I get in to see my Dr. today because I AM DONE.

Now who would you yell at?

It's the final countdown....

The holidays are over. The decorations are put away. And the baby stuff is staring me straight in the face. It is time. In 3 days my poor body will be forced into labor, like it or not. I was hoping I would go on my own by now. And although I have had many "uh oh...what's that" contractions, no such luck. I have been walking, drinking lots of red raspberry leaf tea, and hoping....I am waiting as patiently as I can. But the Dr. doesn't think my body will go on it's own before Monday. :(

So, I will be waiting for the phone call. The one I'll get sometime between 6 - 10pm Monday night that says, "We are ready for you, let's have a baby!". I will then go into the hospital and be given a pill to jump start my labor. The dr. says it should go pretty quickly due to how far along I am and the progression I've already made. I sure hope so, because induction with Kolton was a nightmare. But this baby is so big and I am so uncomfortable that it is time he is evicted. I will keep everyone posted as much as I can, and Ben will bring the laptop so we can hopefully download pictures asap.

Until then I love any thoughts and prayers anyone would like to offer. This is so nerve-racking at this point. I am so ready for this to be over, and so ready to hold my son in my arms. Here's to the new year and the upcoming birth of Karson Dale Koller.

Wish me luck.