6 weeks?!

Today it has been 6 weeks since Emry was born. 6 weeks!!?? In some ways it seems like much longer than that because of the stress with the sicknesses, other things that come with having a newborn(ahem...nursing) and it seems like we have been through alot in that time period. On the other hand, it doesn't seem like it has been 6 weeks yet, because, when 6 weeks hits, shouldn't I be feeling more together - mentally and physically? I thought that when I had 3 kids I would feel different than I do now. Maybe older, more responsible, more capable? Having 3 kids is...busy, who would have thought?! Really though, things are going well and I shouldn't complain. I actually think so far it is a little easier going from 2 kids to 3 than it was from 1 to 2. All the kids are doing great and we do great here at home...most of the time.

Kason and Asher were already buddies, but I think they have become even closer. Granted, they are loud, wrestling, tackling, and "taking you down" buddies, but I'm glad they are friends, even if it becomes a bit excessive at times. Asher always wants Kason to tell him a story when he goes down (or tries to go down) for a nap.

Bath time

We made the trip to Montana on New Year's Eve. I was worried about taking Emry on that long drive while she was still recovering, but we made it. We stayed at a hotel the first night and the boys loved playing in the pool for New Year's.

In Montana

Emry zonked out in front of the fire...finally!

This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.

Back at home Isaac is back at school. 18 more months if all goes well!!!

The boys are really great with Emry and both are great big brothers. Asher usually waves right in her face and says, "ohhh cuuute". Kason is a great helper and both are always wanting to give her toys. Kason does not call her Emry though, he always still says Whippy. It's his little nickname for her. I even caught myself saying it once.

By Asher

Kason's all about the funny shots these days.

Always gotta have a crying picture...at least she looks cute when she's crying.

It snowed!!! Barely...but it was still fun to see.

6 weeks. I think I feel like I need to take a picture anytime I put a bow on her because she usually doesn't get one when we're at home.

Smile!! she is starting to smile. Isaac is better at getting her to smile, but I caught a little one.

Merry Christmas, Hospital Style

Let's go through the last little while chronologically with pictures.

-Kason was super excited to write his first letter to Santa. I put it in our mailbox thinking the mailman would just leave it there and I would go get it later to keep it, but it seems that he took it. The gist of the letter went like this: Dear Santa, I have been good this year. We will leave some cookies and carrots out. I would like a bumble bee car, tool set and legos. Fly safe. Love Kason. It took forever to write. He was pretty proud though.

-I call Emry our little snowman in this outfit.

-So, Kason and Asher got terrible colds when Emry came home from the hospital. I was worried about her getting it and even threw around the dreaded RSV phrase. Asher had it when he was 8 months old and it wasn't fun. I thought she was ok. But, as time went on her cough got worse and she was really sleepy. We called a nurse a couple times and went back and forth on whether or not we should go in. Sunday night (the 18th) her breathing seemed funny (she was retracting) and so we decided to go to the ER at 11pm. They did an x ray (blah) and an RSV test and I knew we were in for it. Sure enough, the RSV test came back positive. I almost lost it when the nurse told us that like it was nothing. So, they admitted my 12 day old to the hospital at 4 am. Luckily, my sister was here for the next few days to watch the boys, which was a life saver. The next few days were awful. Turns out RSV in a 2 week old is different than for an 8 month old. It was much more drawn out, takes longer to heal and was scarier. She was on oxygen and had so many tubes hooked up to her. She had one episode of apnea. MISERABLE physically, mentally, and emotionally. Having just had a baby two weeks ago and then being in the hospital with her, I'm afraid I wasn't the most positive person, to put it lightly. I felt like if I started to lose it I wouldn't be able to stop and I would really lose it. Isaac did a whole lot of driving back and forth. Really though, looking back, we were really blessed; she never stopped eating, she didn't get pneumonia, and she only needed two breathing treatments. We stayed for 5 very long days. She had to go 24 hours without oxygen support before we could go home and watching those monitors showing her oxygen level was a love/hate relationship. Isaac and a friend gave her a blessing and during that night they took off the oxygen. We got to come home on Friday and I am so so so thankful it was before Christmas. Sickness just makes me tired thinking about it, but it sure makes me thankful for good health and for getting better!



This was our home for almost a week. Because of her wires/cords she could only be moved from her little crib to the bed. It was a very small, confining space to be in for that long of a time! I watched lots of TLC's What Not to Wear.

At least I had a great view.

So we were home, before Christmas, and super tired, but happy. After being with Emry for so long Asher seems HUGE. He is a stocky boy. Christmas Eve the boys left out cookies, carrots, and milk.

Our Christmas present

Christmas morning. The boys were so excited and were peeking out their bedroom door, ready to go. They can both loudly sing Away in a Manger and Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and I do mean loudly.

Emry is recovering great. She just has a leftover nasty cough, which can last for a week or two. We went to the doctor today and her lungs sound great. She is 3 weeks and weighs 9 lbs 2 oz - 60% and is 21 in - 60%. She has the most hair of any of our kids at this age, which makes me glad since she is a girl. I gave her a bath and put a beanie on while her hair was still damp. when I took the beanie off this is what I found, quite the mohawk/mullet:

Now we are getting excited for the Rose bowl, go Ducks!

And, because I am a proud wife, I wanted to post about Isaac's "jump to fame" amidst all this.:) His second paper that he wrote with his two advisors got a bunch of media attention. Within a matter of days their paper was linked all over the country in over 150 news sites. It was linked to the Associated Press and was on all the major news sites. He was especially happy it was on ESPN.COM. Isaac did a live radio interview and another over the phone interview. Grad school has a lot of ups and downs! https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&btnmeta_news_search=1&q=swensen+football&oq=swensen+football&aq=f&aqi=d1d-o1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1365l4980l0l5174l18l17l0l14l0l0l186l370l1.2l3l0

What a Week

It has been a blur of a week. I thought I'd write down a little bit more about Emry (or Whippy as she is still called somewhat frequently because of Kason's long standing name suggestion for her) now that she is 10 days old! I was almost a week overdue, which was a fun new experience. I had tried some of the myths to induce labor to no avail. Isaac and I went on a curb walk every night, which I'm sure was a pretty funny sight. I decided to get induced, not my first preference, but I wanted family to be here to watch the boys. So, Tuesday morning at 7:30 we went in. I got started on pitocin at 8:30 and was hoping things would go quickly since I was already dilated, but it didn't. I could feel the contractions, but wasn't really in alot of pain. We walked around, played cards, watched some stuff on hulu... at 2ish the doctor broke my water and things started going quickly then. I sat on one of those balls for the rest of the time and I think that made all the difference. It helped alot! The doctor checked me and I was at an 8/9. He said it could be up to an hour longer, which stressed me out, there was no way I could handle it for another hour! 3 contractions later I needed to push and 3 awful contractions after that Emry was born at 4:38 pm!

Going Home

Kason's first time holding her, he was very careful.

Asher's first time holding her. He took his time before he was ready.

The boys have had to have some quality time together!

Grandma was here to save the days!

2 days after we got home from the hospital Asher came down with a high fever, cough, and cold. A few days later Kason got it. I think I've about had a nervous breakdown about Emry getting it. I think I'm a bit paranoid ever since Asher had RSV. Anyway, the boys are on the mend now, Emry did end up getting it, but it's not as bad as the boys. Lets hope it stays that way.

Love this picture.

This is just to remember how much hair she has! It's almost mullet-ish in the back!

I am so so glad Isaac has stayed home to help. She didn't sleep at first, well, still struggles, but it's getting slightly better, I think. I don't know how I will do laundry and make dinner when I'm by myself! Before she was born we put up our Christmas decorations, one of my favorite things to do.

And the boys got to see Santa. Kason went right up and said he wanted a bumble bee transformer car. Asher was shy, but got bribed up with a piece of candy. We got this smile out of him and he talked a little bit and then...

...he just kind of shut down and didn't have any facial expressions and just leaned against Santa. It was pretty funny.

~BaBy~

Emry Leigh

12/6/11

8 lbs 3 oz