Where Did My Baby Lincoln Go?

Now that Lincoln is a big brother it was time for a big boy haircut. He wasn't too thrilled about sitting by himself in the chair but fortunately we had Gigi there to help calm the situation (and the binky of course). It didn't take long for Lincoln to be comfortable and settle in as long as he could sit on Gigi's lap.

A sucker and a new bouncy ball are just what this little boy needed after being so good. I love his new hair-do! It makes him look so much older which makes me sad that I am losing my baby Winkin.

Goodbye Civic, Hello Pilot!

Now that I have two carseats and a double stroller to haul around with me everywhere I decided we needed to upgrade our 2003 Honda Civic to a 2006 Honda Pilot. We were able to get a great deal on the Pilot and get a chunk of money back on the Civic which helped balance things out. I love my new SUV. It's an 8 seat, DVD playing, 4 wheel drive machine and it's all mine. Lincoln loves being in the car now that he can watch movies while we run errands. 

Newborn Vance Days

During the days I was in the hospital recovering my sister took Lincoln during most of the day. My Mom also helped. Lincoln loves his Gigi. She introduced Lincoln to Curious George after she refused to watch one more episode of Pingu.

Recovering from a c-section is always difficult. Adding newborn care really makes our world turn upside down. Overall Vance is a really good baby though. He loves to snuggle and prefers to sleep being held. He nurses great though which was a struggle with Lincoln. Lincoln is smothering Vance with love...literally. So we have to keep an eye on the brother love but we are thrilled he isn't jealous. Baby Vance definitely prefers his Mama. 

 

Vance William Thomson

On March 12th, 2014 at 8:40am we welcomed Vance William Thomson into our family! At 39 weeks we scheduled the c-section and had our 8.7 lb baby, 19.5 inches long! The first thing Sheehan said was "Awe, he looks so cute and little compared to Lincoln". The hospital staff informed us for a 39 week baby he is pretty big so I am glad we decided to do the c-section at 39 weeks. The polyhydramnios made me huge and during the c-section they had to get another bucket for all the fluid. I had to throw in a gross health fact. 

Vance has been such a GOOD baby. He is happy to just eat, sleep, and poop. He is not a big cryer but grunts all the time. When he is awake, sleeping, eating, pooping, and sitting peacefully he grunts and groans like a little old man. He has been so good I just love to hold him all day long. I may regret that later but for now I am enjoying every minute of snuggle time. Now I can understand why people love newborn babies.

My c-section recovery was SO much easier this time. It would have been a breeze if I hadn't caught a cold 2 days after arriving home from the hospital. It was rough coughing and sneezing after having major abdominal surgery and taking care of a newborn. I had so much help from family that made it all so much easier to handle. Lincoln went to Alyssa's during the day while Sheehan worked or visited with me then he went home with Sheehan at night. He loves his cousin Kiley girl so he had a really great time playing at their house then getting to come home and sleep in mommy and daddy's room. I don't think he missed me too much. :)

 Resting before the C-section

The last few months of pregnancy and during recovery from the c-section I pretty much laid around in my bed or couch 24/7 and watched tv. Lincoln was really good to just lay around with me which is not his typical behavior. It was nice to have a cuddle buddy. He took good care of his Mommy. When I laid on the couch he would bring me every blanket he could find. It was really sweet.

I was a little lonely while recovering in the hospital so I left as soon as they would let me. My hospital bed was also INCREDIBLY uncomfortable so all I wanted was to sleep in my own bed. As much as I loved the hospital food service (I really did), I was ready to go home to my Lincoln boy and husband.

Being cleaned up while they finished the c-section.

Holding my baby in recovery for the first time. It was so hard to stay awake for the first 24 hours after the c-section due to the morphine. I kept falling asleep in the middle of talking or nursing. It was frustrating.

This is me trying to stay awake while holding baby Vance early in the morning. 

We are so excited to have Vance in our family and that we are lucky enough to be his parents. We love him so much already and can't wait to watch him learn and grow. Lincoln adores his little brother and so do his parents! ;)

The Weeks Leading Up To Vance's Arrival

     My 2nd pregnancy was not the easiest. Kicking it off with gallbladder surgery at 7 weeks then working part time through mid-February. Being diagnosed with polyhydramnios and dealing with all that extra fluid weight along with extra monitoring in the last 6 weeks including weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests. Getting the STOMACH FLU at 37 weeks pregnant then being hospitalized for dehydration causing Sheehan to have to come home early from his Home Inspectors Conference in Dallas, Texas. Boy, am I a complainer? 

     Needless to say, it has been a little rough. I was really worried about being able to care for Lincoln boy during the last few months of pregnancy but he was my little buddy and just hung out with me. He is learning words and how to say them and what things mean. It's so fun to see him learn and grow and to see how smart he really is. I love my little, busy Linko. There were days I would lay in bed all afternoon after naptime and watch Netflix and he would just lay there with me (or jump on the bed around me). I would lay on the couch in the living room and ask him to bring Mommy a blanket and he'd bring me every blanket in sight and if any of them fell or slightly touched the floor he would declare, "Oh No!" and coming running over to throw it back on top of me. He is a really sweet boy. 

     Mid February I worked my last shift before going on leave. It was so hard working those last couple of shifts and I left early quite a few times. Fortunately this time around my hands and feet did not get very swollen. With Lincoln I was like a marshmallow puff. My face did get a little puffy toward the end though as you can see in the picture of Lincoln and I on the couch. He's just laying on my big belly which never lasted long cause Vance would start kicking at him. 

My parents, Devin and family, Lys and family, and I were able to get together with Jeff Brewer and Jonathan Bethke from Bear Valley Ward for a Sunday evening to go shooting and have some tacos together. 

Lincoln loves chocolate (who doesn't) and learned to climb up Sheehan office chair and desks to reach his business chocolate. Sheehan bring candy bowls around to real estate agent's offices to gain business. Lincoln and I are definitely eating up business profits...it's an addiction. I love the cat just hanging out like he is expecting some sort of treat too. haha

Lincoln LOVES cars and plays with them for hours every day. He likes to run them all over your arms, head, and legs...and the cats head and back. Bagheera (Cat) doesn't appreciate being a racetrack but he tolerates it for a few minutes. 

Life is great! We are so excited for the arrival of baby Vance! Sheehan's business, Onsite Home Inspections is thriving. We are all in good health. We just cannot be more grateful for our blessings of home and family. The happiness we feel in this life from our little family is a testimony to me of the truthfulness of the gospel and God's plan for us. 

Business is great!

Checking in to the hospital

39 weeks and ready for a c-section delivery!

I had Polyhydramnios with Vance so my belly was full of fluid which is a lot of reason for a 2nd c-section.

Tent Trailer Memories

   
     I loved our tent trailer. Probably just cause I love cuddling with my family and a tent trailer is so teeny it forces you to "cuddle" together. Also it reminds me of trips to the beach and Yosemite, my favorite places to visit.

     I remember unzipping the window to watch my Dad chase away bears in Yosemite.
It has a particular smell that I'll never forget. The burnt orange cushions and laminate wood. I just love everything about this tent trailer and I would love to get a tent trailer to camp with our little family.

     Now that I've gone on and on about the tent trailer let's talk about the cute kids in the picture. I love that Devin is sitting safely distanced from Lys and myself and is throwing the peace sign. Awesome.
Then of course Alyssa is so good to me and always has been. She's hugging me close cause I'm sure my Mom said, "Okay, get close together so I can take a picture of you.  Pretend that you love each other." (the latter part of that probably came when we got older-haha) My "gigi" baby blanket is front and center in this picture. I slept with that blanket every night up until I got married-NO joke.

     As usual I have left my clothes or shoes around and not put them nicely away as I presume that white sandal at the bottom right of the picture is mine. Oh the nostalgia. I love my family and the adventures we've had together. I can't wait to keep making memories with my own little family.

Boys and their Toys

     Ever since the end of 2011 Sheehan has been interested in emergency preparedness and along with it, guns. He spends hours doing research on which gun to buy before he buys it. He has hunting rifles, handguns, shotguns, and sporting rifles. It is a good way for him to spend time with family and friends and let off steam from stressful work weeks.

AR-15 and other guns on Devyco's Jeep - Also, Devin made hot chocolate on his camp stove

Friends shooting

My Dad with his shotgun and Sheehan with his

Sheehan's completed hunting rifle