Cameron 2 Months!

Cameron is 2 months old and a great baby! During the day he is almost always happy, unless he is hungry or getting tired.  He smiles alot and talks too. Even his brothers can get him to smile and coo at them.  He is so sweet. I really just savor him because I know they grow up fast and turn into rambunctious 4 year olds too soon. As far as his sleep goes, he is my biggest challenge compared to his brothers.  Jet was sleeping long stretches of like 8 hours by 2 months.  Dash was down to like 1 feeding a night by 4 months.  Cameron goes to bed at like 11 or later and I get up every 2-3 hours until I get up at like 8 or 8:30.  He has no long stretches.  I just feed him and we fall back asleep.  His percentile for weight has gone down since being born, so maybe he still needs to eat every 3 hours. So many times I am tempted to just go to formula and not nurse because it can be such a challenge always wondering if he is getting enough and maybe staying full longer on formula, but I know that my boys have stayed healthy while babies because of my milk so I will keep it up. Here are Cameron's stats from the Doc a couple weeks ago:

Length:  24.5 inches  91st percentile
Weight:  12.5lbs         53rd percentile
Head 15.9 in              60th percentile

Things about Cameron:

On the verge of laughing
Smiles with his whole body
Talks and coos
Loves to try and suck fingers
Takes 3-4 naps a day
Loves to nurse
Loves his brothers
Loves to be sung to
He has 2 dimples!

Cameron David Hurst's Birthday!

For most of my pregnancy with Cameron, things were smooth without complications.  For a regular visit to my midwife on Tues the 6th of Jan, I had a high blood pressure reading.  They made me go into labor and delivery to get more blood pressure readings and do a non stress test and draw blood, etc. to make sure I wasn't developing pre-eclampsia.  The midwife even told me that I should have my baby that day. I was like, no way, I will avoid induction at all costs.  I wanted him to come on his own.  The doctor told me after all the indicators they checked, that the baby was fine, but to come back Friday for another blood pressure reading and non stress test.  I was a little frustrated because I didn't want to go through all that garbage of testing and worrying about the baby.  I was hoping he would come before the doctors would tell me to be induced.
Wednesday evening, James and I went in to visit with a member of our stake presidency. He released James from his bishopric calling he had been serving for the past 2 years.  A few hours after that, around 10 pm, I started to have cramping and contractions.  I find it interesting how James being released and that evening going into labor. I think God was waiting for the right timing and knew I would need James' help. I went out on a walk with the dog after getting kids to bed. I told James I was having bad cramping and contractions and that if this wasn't labor, it was a bad joke.  Knowing I needed to be to the hospital 4 hours before I delivered to get 2 doses of penicillin for the Strep B I carried, I tried to pace things out in my mind. By 2:30 I told James to call Bishop so he could stay with Jet and Dash while we went to the hospital.  Contractions were like 7 min apart at that point, but I figured things would go a lot faster this time.
We get to the hospital and I am dialated to a 6! yay, so we settle into the labor and delivery room and I continue to labor for a few more hours, they check me again and I am still at a 6, ugh! I walk around, change positions to try to get things going, frustrated that nothing has changed.  Around 5 am, I am at an 8 or 9. My water broke around that time and the midwife gets everything ready to deliver. I really thought after my water breaking he would be out within  minutes.  I stay at an 8 or 9 for nearly 2 more hours!  I don't think my contractions were frequent enough or strong enough to get me to 10 for those hours.  The midwife kept suggesting if we waited a little while longer I could get my 2 doses, but I was like, I don't want to be in labor longer than I have to. She suggests pitocin, but I didn't want it, afraid it would make things be more painful than necessary.  I keep laboring, but no desire to push, and I am like, how long is this going to take.  I keep asking, what can I do (to get things going?)
The midwife suggests laboring on my side, so I turn.  The next couple contracts are hard and strong and I am thinking if things are still stalling, I can't do this more than half hour or much longer.  I asked for something to take the edge off which they gave me. The next contraction, I feel Cameron coming and I say to everyone, 'He is coming!".  His head comes out face up, and his shoulders get stuck in the birth canal.  The midwife calls another nurse to help him get out and she pretty much pulls him out of me. I felt like my insides were all going to come out! Cameron was born at 7:31 a.m on January 8th. He was 5 days early (every pregnant woman's dream, so nice for me!) I think the labor was so long and didn't progress as quickly because of his position and that my contractions weren't frequent or strong enough for a period of time at the end.  I was so glad to have him in my arms and out of my belly.

He was 9lbs 7 oz and 21.5 inches long. He is a sweet sweet baby and I just love his hair!

37 Weeks!

We are on the last few weeks before our family welcomes a new angel.  Not only do we have Christmas in a couple days, we have a new baby to be excited for.  Before we know it our world will be turned upside down for the best reason. I just can't wait to meet him.  The whole anticipation is just so exciting, wondering when he will come and how things will go and getting him here safe and sound.  Jet understands pretty well he is getting another brother, he is so cute when he tells random people that I am going to have a baby. On a couple of occasions he tells people to say congratulations to me because I am going to have a baby.  I think he will be good with baby, but he doesn't always get along or behave well with the brother he already has. Dash doesn't really know what is going on, he just knows I have a baby in my tummy and that he does too.
I have to say this pregnancy has been the hardest.  Everything that comes with pregnancy came on sooner and more intense than I have had before.  I am already over my highest weight I was with Dash, I had more morning sickness, more heartburn, and I even have swollen feet sometimes which I never had. I don't ever want to seem like I am complaining, but being pregnant is not my favorite thing.  Tonight I dropped something on the floor, and I just kinda looked at it like 'oh man that is so far away right now', and picked it up. My least favorite thing is gaining weight. It makes it difficult to get around, hard on my bones, and just so uncomfortable.  My favorite part is feeling the baby move, but even sometimes that doesn't feel good either.
It is also interesting the comments I get from people.  It ranges from "Are there two in there?" to "I could hardly tell you were pregnant".  I still go to the gym and a couple of people have told me they admire me getting out and still exercising.  Going to the gym was my way of taking a break from my kids and trying not to gain every ounce possible of weight this time around.  I never take offense to what people say, because they aren't trying to hurt anyone's feelings and they don't know that I make big babies.
Baby is doing great, the last few appointments he has measure 2 weeks larger than the calendar, so he is going to be a big baby.  I plan on doing it natural again unless something crazy comes up.  In my mind and physically I just can't wait for him to be out and have my body back to myself, but I also know that when he comes all heck will break loose with 3 kids ages 4 and under.  I have prepared myself for the worst, but hopefully it turns out better.  The 2 I have already can drive me crazy, so I know another will magnify that. 
The weekend following New Years we will be doing baby preparations and after that, I would love to see him come sooner than later.  I am thankful for the blessing of being a mom and hope this new little one feels of our love.

Our Growing Boys

Jet and Dash are getting bigger by the minute, especially Dash, he will be as tall as Jet soon enough.  I took them both to the doctor for their well-check visits and they did alright. Jet always acts kinda funny in new situations, so it made it kinda stressful.  Plus they both had shots and I had two boys to console. The good news is that they are healthy and growing.

All about Jet:

Jet is an energetic, strong-willed, big brother.  He loves his brother Dash even though sometimes he says he doesn't.  It takes a while for him to listen and obey.  I think he understands, he is just determined to have his way.  He can be very loving towards his brother and others.  He loves to play with other kids.  The other day he was trying to play football with a group of boys probably ages 9-12 and he just loved being with older kids.  He is a natural leader. He loves to tell Dash what to do and gets mad at him if he doesn't do it.  He is totally fascinated with transformers and is always asking for a transformer this or that. He is very smart and can read up to 5 letter basic words.  He has learned to write his name. I think he is a handsome kid with so much potential and I love seeing him learn and develop. As far as his physical growth he is 40 lbs (80th percentile) and 41 inches tall (63rd percentile).

Dash is an awesome 2 year old and he just couldn't be any cuter.  He has this underbite that shows when you ask him to show his teeth that I think is just adorable.  He loves to play and climb on things. He follows his big brother around and for the most part stays out of trouble.  He loves airplanes, trucks, playing any sport, being chased, and giving hugs and kisses.  The first thing I hear in the morning nearly everyday is when he comes into our room and says "I want cereal mommy." He is quick to say sorry and I think he can understand others' feelings well even at his young age.  When he gets mad or needs to defend himself, he bites, so watch out! When he pretends to sleep it is the cutest, he even does a fake snore.  He brings so much joy and energy to our home, so happy he is here. For his physical growth, Dash is 37in tall (97th percentile), and weighs 28lbs (53rd percentile). I think he may be a basketball player someday :)

Angels when they sleep!

Birthdays!

October was birthday month here for our family. By the time it came to my birthday, I think we were all partied out. Since we have been celebrating both boys' birthdays with one party, I debate how much to do on their actual birthday. I can't just not do anything on their actual birthday, so we end up having a cake on their actual birthdays and at their party, so that is like 3 cakes not including my own.  Another year has gone by and we now have a 2 and 4 year old on our hands.  For their big birthday party, we took them again to Jungle Jim's.  They loved it there last year so we went again.  Grandma and Grandpa came into town and had a blast with their grandsons.

For my birthday, James and I got to go out to dinner without children and he gave me the awesome gift of a day of PTO :). I have yet to use it, but I am sure I will need one when this new baby arrives.

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to have a house full of BOYS! Oh my goodness, Heavenly Father surely has a great sense of humor.  I would love to have a girl someday, but I am going to have to wait a little longer.  People have asked me how I feel about having another boy and honestly I am excited. I was so nervous and anxious for the ultrasound I was just dying to know. When I found out it was a boy, I admit I was a little dissapointed, but I know God has greater things for me than what I want. I feel like Heavenly Father needs good men in the world and if He trusts me with raising a few of them I am up for the challenge. We make pretty cute boys too! I feel like moms of all boys (not that I am done having kids) are a special kind of woman. They give up on sharing girly things and delve into a world of trucks, wrestling, dirt and play fighting. If we don't end up having a girl we made ourselves, I would surely consider adopting one. Not that I am a totally amazing person, but I feel like I have a lot to offer a girl (or boy for that matter). I would love to help make my daughter's prom dress or hold her hand during labor.  For now I look forward to holding this new baby boy and loving him so much that he never doubts it.  If I am going to have three boys, having them together is great so they can be close in age and be good buds. Someday I imagine myself surrounded by my tall handsome men and look forward to seeing what amazing men they will be.  
From our ultrasound, the baby looked amazing, 9 days ahead in size for his gestational age. All his parts are there and in good shape.  The size of baby gets me a little nervous and just because he is ahead in size doesn't mean he will come early, just means he will be a big baby. Dash measured big also, but he didn't come early, just came big! Maybe a different story this time, who knows. Anyway, we are still working on a name, loving his baby kicks and just so excited for him to join us!

July Adventures

In July my parents were able to come out and see us for a week and we had a great time. They love spending time with their grand kids and it is fun for me to watch them enjoy Jet and Dash so much.  We went on a bike ride with grandma one of the days and then all of us went camping in Zions over the weekend. James hiked the narrows with some of his friends and I spent the day with the boys. We went on a hike to Emerald Pools and ate lunch at the Zion's Lodge.  We had a great time aside from the heat (I think Zion's would be awesome in the fall or even winter). One of our favorite things was swimming in the river that ran along the campground. The water was shallow enough I didn't have to worry about any little boys drowning. When we got back from Zions, that Monday we all went to Lagoon which was a blast. Jet talks about Lagoon all year long and he loves going on the rides and even Dash was big enough to go on some of the rides. 

 Riding the bus to the trailhead in Zion's

 We made it to the Emerald Pools!

 Beating the heat under a huge Cottonwood and eating Pizza

 Lagoon time!

 Boys in the green boat

Riding with Grandma and Grandpa