Adjusting

We are 3 1/2 weeks in being a family of 5 and I must say we are adjusting so much better than I had anticipated. It may be because Tate is such a good baby, or it may be because the kids are are bit older and can help out, or it might be because this is our third rodeo and we might now know what we are actually doing :) The kids are such a good help with him, and have been very understanding when I have to feed him and can't play or help them at the very minute they want me to. Tate is a great eater and has been a pretty good sleeper as well. The past few nights he has been up eating every 2 hours instead of 3-4 like he had been, but I'm attributing it to a growth spurt and hoping we get back to 3-4 hours soon. Of course, he chose to wake up more at night when Kyle is in Colombia this week for work. He gets home tonight, and I am very happy to get two more sets of hands to help out with the kids. I have officially put away the newborn clothing (tear...) and we are in 0-3 month clothes at 3 1/2 weeks old. I'm sure he is over 10 lbs now because we have also transitioned from newborn to size 1 diapers.
Last weekend my sister came to visit and we had such a good time. Aubrey was supposed to join but had a cold, and we weren't going to chance getting the baby sick, so she stayed home with Kyle and Aidan. She gave Tate lots of snuggles, and played with R and P so I could get a little break. It was so nice I offered her a full time nanny position :) She cooked, entertained the kids, and basically took care of Tate the whole weekend. We can't wait for her to come back over Memorial Day weekend- bringing Aidan and Aubrey to meet Tate! Here are some of our pictures from last weekend.
On Saturday we went to Eugster's farm for their Lambing days. We got to see all the animals, feed the fish in the pond, play in the play area, and pet baby lambs. Preston fed the goats and Reese fed the chickens. It was a great day and the weather was perfect! Saturday afternoon my parents came up and Courtney made us all dinner. It was a fun day!

 

Helping Aunt Courtney pick rhubarb to make crisp for dessert

 Kiddos lending a hand in rhubarb crisp making

 Aunt Courtney wore me out!

 Our "new to us" swingset we got set up on Sunday. The kids love it and I am going to love the entertainment it provides for them this summer! :)

Tate Brandon Montgomery - 4.4.16

I look back at my last blog post, and little did I know less than 12 hours later we would meet our little guy. Last Sunday went on like any other day. I never once had an inkling that I would be going into labor that night. Kyle's parents were here most of the day helping us trim our grapes out in our mini vineyard and we spent most of the day outside. Around 8:45 that night just after I sat down to watch tv before bed, contractions began. I had been having contractions on and off for a few weeks, so I didnt chalk it up to much. I started timing them a little after 9:00, and they were every 9 minutes apart. I decided to take a shower and see if they were going to stick around or if it was just another fluke. Well, when I got out of the shower, they were about every 7-8 minutes apart. I woke Kyle and said he might want to pack his bag. He called the hospital and they said it was up to me at what point I wanted to come in. I laid down for a bit, but once they got to every 5 mintues apart (which was only about 10 minutes later) I decided it was time to go as they were getting very painful. We called Kyle's mom and told her we needed her to come up and spend the night with the kids. She lives about 35 minutes away, and I knew I wasn't going to make it that long. Thankfully my friend Jenna only lives about 7 minutes away, so I called her at 10:30 and asked her to rush over. By this point, they were every 2-3 minutes apart and super painful. She arrived and we took off. Once in the truck, I was getting them every minute and it was the longest 20 minute ride to the hospital in my life! I thought at one point baby would be joining us on the side of the road. Luckily, we made it to the hospital around 11:30, they got me in my room, and Tate was born less than an hour later. Since labor was SO fast and intense, I did not have the chance to get any pain meds. But believe me, I begged for them. At that point, they said all it would do would "drug" the baby and I would get no relief. I do have to say, an all natural birth was not my game plan. I was not prepared mentally for it and I think I made it harder on myself than I needed too. Let's just say I give MAJOR kuddos to those women who have done an all natural labor more than once, or who choose to do it. None the less, Tate (A BOY!) arrived at 12:28 am weighing in at 8 lbs 10 oz (one oz more than Reese making him my biggest baby) and 20 1/2" long. He looks like a mini Preston. Long fingers, long toes, and a pretty happy baby. Unfortunately, our first 4 days with him were spent in the hospital. His jaundice levels kept rising, so he was on a bili blanket 24 hours a day, with his blood being taken every 6 hours to check his level. His poor little heals were all poked and sore. Finally on Friday afternoon, we got news that we could go home! My parents and Kyle's mom were able to help out with Reese and Preston all week, with Kyle staying at the house at night, so with the shuffle, we made it work. But boy were we glad to get home!
This past weekend we spent relaxing and adjusting to being a family of 5. The kids are really good with Tate, and are interested in him when he is awake. We went back on Saturday morning for another blood draw to make sure he could sustain on his own without the bili blanket, and his levels were within normal range- whew!
Tate is a pretty content baby so far. He hates diaper changes and baths, but overall only cries when he is hungry. He is also giving me 3-4 hour stretches at night- which I hope he keeps up!  Here are some pics from our last week...

Kyle's first time holding Tate

Meeting Poppa

 and Nana

 The first meeting. Preston was in awe of how little he was - I just love his expression here.

 Checking him out

Meeting Grammie

 Pretty proud big sister

 And then there were three...

 Meeting cousin Mekenna

 A visit from big sister after gymnastics

 That silly bili blanket is interfering with our cuddles!

 Hanging with Dad- passing the hours in the hospital with lots of snuggles

Poor babe all wrapped up

Finally, off my blanket!!

 Time to go home!!

 First night at home- pajama party :)

 One week old

Kyle left today until Friday for work in Indianapolis. I am a bit nervous, but know we will be ok. With school drop off and pick ups, and gymnastics, I pray that Tate goes with the flow :) Keep us in your thoughts!

4:3:16

Due date. 4.3.16. A day I have been waiting for for the past 40 weeks. It's here, and baby is not :) Little babe is just comfy and cozy in there.I head in to the doctor again tomorrow and at that point we will discuss how much longer I'll go, or want to go. These past 3 days have been really uncomfortable. I'm at the point where it's no fun to walk, no fun to sit, and no fun to bend over :)
I had a few friends tell me about Raspberry Leaf tea and how when women were around their due date, drinking the tea helped put them into labor. Worth a shot, right? I got some on Friday, had 2 cups before bed, and 4 cups yesterday. Clearly, I was not one the tea was made to work for. :) The lady at the shop where it was bought had said she was 10 for 10 of women drinking it and putting them into labor...looks like I broke her record, haha. Luckily it tastes really good, so it wasn't an awful thing to try.

4.3.16 40 weeks

 Raspberry leaf tea

We did add a new member to the family, but not a baby. A camper! Kyle has been talking with a guy who is selling his camper for a few weeks now, and it was a deal he couldn't pass up. Kyle can't stop talking about camping and how excited he is. Like a little kid. It is in GREAT shape. The kids are also excited to be able to go camping this summer.